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O.&R.  Edmund  and  his  t-ATHER  among  the  Fens  —Page  14. 


THE  DRAGON 

AND  THE  RAVEN 


OK 


THE  DAYS  OF  KING  ALFRED 


BY 

G.   A.    HENTY 

Author  of  ^'Bonnie  Prince  Charlie"  ''The  Lion  of  the  North,"  "With  Clive  im 

India"   "The  Voun^  Carthaginian"   "In  FreedotrCs  Cause"   "IVith 

Lee  in   Virginia"   ''By  I' ike  and  Dyke"    "Captain  Bay  ley'* 

Heir"    "By  England^ s    Aid"    "Under  Drake'* 

flag,"  "In  the  Reign  of  Terror"  etc. 


NEW   YORK 
THE    MERSHON    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


College 
library 


PREFACE. 


PR 
^725- 


My  Dear  Lads:  Living  in  the  present  days  of  peace 
and  tranquillity  it  is  difficult  to  picture  the  life  of  our 
ancestors  in  the  days  of  King  Alfred,  when  the  whole 
country  was  for  years  overrun  by  hordes  of  pagan  bar- 
barians, who  slaughtered,  plundered,  and  destroyed  at 
will.  You  may  gain,  perhaps,  a  fair  conception  of  the 
state  of  things  if  you  imagine  that  at  the  time  of  the  great 
mutiny  the  English  population  of  India  approached  that 
of  the  natives,  and  that  the  mutiny  was  everywhere 
triumphant.  The  wholesale  massacres  and  outrages 
which  would  in  such  a  case  have  been  inflicted  upon  the 
conquered  whites  could  be  no  worse  than  those  suffered 
by  the  Saxons  at  the  hands  of  the  Danes.  From  this 
terrible  state  of  subjection  and  suffering  the  Saxons  were 
rescued  by  the  prudence,  the  patience,  the  valor  and  wis- 
dom of  King  Alfred.  In  all  subsequent  ages  England 
has  produced  no  single  man  who  united  in  himself  so 
many  great  qualities  as  did  this  the  first  of  great  English- 
men. He  was  learned,  wise,  brave,  prudent,  and  pious; 
devoted  to  his  people,  clement  to  his  conquered  enemies. 
He  was  as  great  in  peace  as  in  war;  and  yet  few  English 
boys  know  more  than  a  faint  outline  of  the  events  of 
Alfred's  reign— events  which  have  exercised  an  influence 
upon  the  whole  future  of  the  English  people.  School 
histories  pass  briefly  over  them;  and  the  incident  of  the 

m 

1C60597 


IV  PREFACE. 

burned  cake  is  that  which  is,  of  all  the  actions  ol  a  great 
and  glorious  reign,  the  most  prominent  in  boys*  minds. 
In  this  story  I  have  tried  to  supply  the  deficiency.  For- 
tunately in  the  "  Saxon  Qironicles,"  and  in  the  life  of 
King  Alfred  written  by  his  friend  and  counselor  Asser, 
we  have  a  trustworthy  account  of  the  events  and  battles 
which  first  laid  Wessex  prostrate  beneath  the  foot  of  the 
Danes,  and  finally  freed  England  for  many  years  from 
the  invaders.  These  histories  I  have  faithfully  followed. 
The  account  of  the  siege  of  Paris  is  taken  from  a  very 
full  and  detailed  history  of  that  event  by  the  Abbe 
lyAbbon,  who  was  a  witness  of  the  scenes  he  described. 
Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.  Henty. 


CONTENTS. 


CSAPTC8  MOB 

h  PctanvEs, I 

IL  The  Battle  of  Kesteven, 16 

in.  The  Massacks  at  Croyland,         ....  31 

IV.  The  Invasion  of  Wessex,    .....  49 

V.  A  DisapuNED  Band 64 

VI.  The  Saxon  Fort, 79 

VII.  The  Dragon 95 

VIII.  The  Cruise  of  the  Dragon,       .       .       .       .  no 

IX.  A  Prisoner, .       .       .  126 

X.  The  Combat, 141 

XI.  The  Isle  of  Athelnsy, 157 

XII.  Four  Years  of  Peace, 173 

XIII.  The  Siege  of  Paris,         ......  183 

XIV.  The  Repulse  of  the  Norssmxn,         ...  199 
XV.  Friends  in  Trouble 215 

XVI.  Freda, 230 

XVII.  A  Long  Chase, 247 

XVIII.  Freda  Discovered, 262 

XIX.  United, 274 


THE   DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FUGITIVES. 

A  LOW  hut  built  of  turf  roughly  thatched  with  rushes, 
and  standing  on  the  highest  spot  of  some  slightly  raised 
ground.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  tangled  growth  of 
bushes  and  low  trees,  through  which  a  narrow  and  wind- 
ing path  gave  admission  to  the  narrow  space  on  which 
the  hut  stood.  The  g^round  sloped  rapidly.  Twenty 
yards  from  the  house  the  trees  ceased,  and  a  rank  vege- 
tation of  reeds  and  rushes  took  the  place  of  the  bushes, 
and  the  ground  became  soft  and  swampy.  A  little  fur- 
ther pools  of  stagnant  water  appeared  among  the  rushes, 
and  the  path  abruptly  stopped  at  the  edge  of  a  stagnant 
swamp,  though  the  passage  could  be  followed  by  the 
eye  for  some  distance  among  the  tall  rushes.  The  hut, 
in  fact,  stood  on  a  hummock  in  the  midst  of  a  wide 
swamp,  where  the  water  sometimes  deepened  into  lakes 
connected  by  sluggish  streams. 

On  the  open  spaces  of  water  herons  stalked  near  the 
margin,  and  great  flocks  of  wild  fowl  dotted  the  surface. 
Other  signs  of  life  there  were  none,  although  a  sharp 
eye  might  have  detected  light  threads  of  smoke  curling 
up  here  and  there  from  spots  where  the  ground  rose 
somewhat  above  the  general  level.    These  slight  eleva- 


9  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

tions,  however,  were  not  visible  to  the  eye,  for  the 
herbage  here  g^ew  shorter  than  on  the  lower  and  wetter 
ground,  and  the  land  apparently  stretched  away  for  a 
vast  distance  in  a  dead  flat — a,  rush-covered  swamp, 
broken  only  here  and  there  by  patches  of  bushes  and 
low  trees. 

The  little  hut  was  situated  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
fen  country,  now  drained  and  cultivated,  but  in  the  year 
870  untouched  by  the  hand  of  man,  the  haunt  of  wild 
fowl  and  human  fugitives.  At  the  door  of  the  hut  stood 
a  lad.  some  fourteen  years  old.  His  only  garment  was 
a  short  sleeveless  tunic  girded  in  at  the  waist ;  his  arms 
and  legs  were  bare ;  his  head  was  uncovered,  and  his  hair 
fell  in  masses  on  his  shoulders.  In  his  hand  he  held  a 
short  spear,  and  leaning  against  the  wall  of  the  hut,  close 
at  hand,  were  a  bow  and  quiver  of  arrows.  The  lad 
looked  at  the  sun,  which  was  sinking  toward  the  horizon. 

"  Father  is  late,"  he  said.  "  I  trust  that  no  harm  has 
come  to  him  and  Egbert.  He  said  he  would  return  to- 
day without  fail;  he  said  three  or  four  days,  and  this 
is  the  fourth.  It  is  dull  work  here  alone.  You  think 
so.  Wolf,  don't  you,  old  fellow?  And  it  is  worse  for 
you  than  it  is  for  me,  pent  up  on  this  hummock  of 
ground,  with  scarce  room  to  stretch  your  limbs." 

A  great  wolf-hound,  who  was  lying  with  his  head 
between  his  paws  by  the  embers  of  a  fire  in  the  center 
of  the  hut,  raised  his  head  on  being  addressed,  and 
uttered  a  low  howl  indicative  of  his  agreement  with  his 
master's  opinion  and  his  disgust  at  his  present  place  of 
abode. 

"  Never  mind,  old  fellow,"  the  boy  continued,  "  we 
shan't  be  here  long,  I  hope,  and  then  you  shall  go  with 


FUGITIVES.  3 

me  in  the  woods  again  and  hunt  the  wolves  to  your 
heart's  content."  The  great  hound  gave  a  lazy  wag  of 
his  tail.  "  And  now,  Wolf,  I  must  go.  You  lie  here 
and  guard  the  hut  while  I  am  away.  Not  that  you  are 
likely  to  have  any  strangers  to  call  in  my  absence." 

The  dog  rose  and  stretched  himself,  and  followed  his 
master  down  the  path  until  it  terminated  at  the  edge  of 
the  water.  Here  he  gave  a  low  whimper  as  the  lad 
stepped  in  and  waded  through  the  water;  then  turning, 
he  walked  back  to  the  hut  and  threw  himself  down  at 
the  door.  The  boy  proceeded  for  some  thirty  or  forty 
yards  through  the  water,  then  paused  and  pushed  aside 
the  wall  of  rushes  which  bordered  the  passage,  and 
pulled  out  a  boat  which  was  floating  among  them. 

It  was  constructed  of  osier  rods  neatly  woven  together 
into  a  sort  of  basket-work,  and  covered  with  an  un- 
tanned  hide  with  the  hairy  side  in.  It  was  nearly  oval 
in  shape,  and  resembled  a  great  bowl  some  three  feet 
and  a  half  wide  and  a  foot  longer.  A  broad  paddle  with 
a  long  handle  lay  in  it,  and  the  boy  getting  into  it,  and 
standing  erect  in  the  middle,  paddled  down  the  strip  of 
water,  which  a  hundred  yards  further  opened  out  into  a 
broad,  half  a  mile  long  and  four  or  five  hundred  yards 
wide.  Beyond  moving  slowly  away  as  the  coracle 
approached  them,  the  waterfowl  paid  but  little  heed  to 
its  appearance. 

The  boy  paddled  to  the  end  of  the  broad,  whence  a 
passage,  through  which  flowed  a  stream  so  sluggish 
that  its  current  could  scarce  be  detected,  led  into  the 
next  sheet  of  water.  Across  the  entrance  to  this  passage 
floated  some  bundles  of  light  rushes.  These  the  boy 
drew  out,  one  by  one.     Attached  to  each  was  a  piece  of 


4  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

cord  which,  being  pulled  upon,  brought  to  the  surface 
a  large  cage,  constructed  somewhat  on  the  plan  of  a 
modern  eel-  or  lobster-pot.  They  were  baited  by  pieces 
of  dead  fish,  and  from  them  the  boy  extracted  half  a  score 
of  eels  and  as  many  fish  of  different  kinds. 

"  Not  a  bad  haul,"  he  said,  as  he  lowered  the  cages  to 
the  bottom  again.  "  Now  let  us  see  what  we  have  got 
in  our  pen." 

He  paddled  a  short  way  along  the  broad  to  a  point 
where  a  little  lane  of  water  ran  up  through  the  rushes. 
This  narrowed  rapidly  and  the  lad  got  out  from  his  boat 
into  the  water,  as  the  coracle  could  proceed  no  further 
between  the  lines  of  rushes.  The  water  was  knee-deep 
and  the  bottom  soft  and  oozy.  At  the  end  of  the  creek 
it  narrowed  until  the  rushes  were  but  a  foot  apart. 
They  were  bent  over  here,  as  it  would  seem  to  a  super- 
ficial observer  naturally;  but  a  close  examination  would 
show  that  those  facing  each  other  were  tied  together 
where  they  crossed  at  a  distance  of  a  couple  of  feet 
above  the  water,  forming  a  sort  of  tunnel.  Two  feet 
further  on  this  ceased,  and  the  rushes  were  succeeded  by 
lines  of  strong  osier  withes,  an  inch  or  two  apart,  arched 
over  and  fastened  together.  At  this  point  was  a  sort  of 
hanging  door  formed  of  rushes  backed  with  osiers,  and 
so  arranged  that  at  the  slightest  push  from  without  the 
door  lifted  and  enabled  a  wild  fowl  to  pass  under,  but 
dropping  behind  it  prevented  its  exit.  The  osier  tunnel 
widened  out  to  a  sort  of  inverted  basket,  three  feet  in 
diameter. 

On  the  surface  erf  the  creek  floated  some  grain,  which 
had  been  scattered  there  the  evening  before  as  a  bait. 
The  lad  left  the  creek  before  he  got  to  the  narrower  part, 


FUGITIVES.  5 

and,  making  a  small  circuit  in  the  swamp,  came  down 
upon  the  pen. 

"Good!"  he  said,  "I  am  in  luck  to-day;  here  are 
three  fine  ducks." 

Bending  the  yielding  osiers  aside,  he  drew  out  the 
ducks  one  by  one,  wrung  their  necks,  and  passing  their 
heads  through  his  girdle,  made  his  way  again  to  the 
coracle.  Then  he  scattered  another  handful  or  two  of 
grain  on  the  water — sparingly  near  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  but  more  thickly  at  the  entrance  to  the  trap — ^and 
then  paddled  back  again  by  the  way  he  had  come. 

Almost  noiselessly  as  he  dipped  the  paddle  in  the 
water,  the  hound's  quick  ear  had  caught  the  sound,  and 
he  was  standing  at  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  wagging  his 
tail  in  dignified  welcome  as  his  master  stepped  on  to 
dry  land. 

"  There,  Wolf;  what  do  you  think  of  that?  A  good 
score  of  eels  and  fish  and  three  fine  wild  ducks.  That 
means  bones  for  you  with  your  meal  to-night — not  to 
satisfy  your  hunger,  you  know,  for  they  would  not  be 
of  much  use  in  that  way,  but  to  give  a  flavor  to  your 
supper.  Now  let  us  make  the  fire  up  and  pluck  the 
birds,  for  I  warrant  me  that  father  and  Egbert,  if  they 
return  this  evening,  will  be  sharp-set.  There  are  the 
cakes  to  bake,  too;  so  you  see  there  is  work  for  the 
next  hour  or  two." 

The  sun  had  set  now,  and  the  flames,  dancing  up  as 
the  boy  threw  an  armful  of  dry  wood  on  the  fire,  gave 
the  hut  a  more  cheerful  appearance.  For  some  time  the 
lad  busied  himself  with  preparation  for  supper.  The 
three  ducks  were  plucked  in  readiness  for  putting  over 
the  fire,  should  they  be  required;  cakes  of  coarse  rye 


6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

flour  were  made  and  placed  in  the  red  ashes  of  the  fire; 
and  then  the  lad  threw  himself  down  by  the  side  of  the 
dog. 

"  No,  Wolf;  it  is  no  use  your  looking  at  those  ducks. 
I  am  not  going  to  roast  them  if  no  one  comes;  I  have 
got  half  a  one  left  from  dinner."  After  sitting  quiet  for 
half  an  hour  the  dog  suddenly  raised  himself  into  a 
sitting  position,  with  ears  erect  and  muzzle  pointed 
toward  the  door;  then  he  gave  a  low  whine,  and  his  tail 
began  to  beat  the  ground  rapidly. 

"  What!  do  you  hear  them,  old  fellow?  "  the  boy  said, 
leaping  to  his  feet.  "  I  wish  my  ears  were  as  sharp  as 
yours  are,  Wolf;  there  would  be  no  fear  then  of  being 
caught  asleep.  Come  on,  old  boy;  let  us  go  and  meet 
them." 

It  was  some  minutes  after  he  reached  the  edge  of  the 
swamp  before  the  boy  could  hear  the  sounds  which  the 
quick  ears  of  the  hound  had  detected.  Then  he  heard 
a  faint  splashing  noise,  and  a  minute  or  two  later  two 
figures  were  seen  wading  through  the  water. 

"  Welcome  back,  father,"  the  lad  cried.  "  I  was 
beginning  to  be  anxious  about  you,  for  here  we  are  at 
the  end  of  the  fourth  day." 

"  I  did  not  name  any  hour,  Edmund,"  the  boy's  father 
said,  as  he  stepped  from  the  water,  "  but  I  own  that  I 
did  not  reckon  upon  being  so  late;  but  in  truth  Egbert 
and  I  missed  our  way  in  the  windings  of  these  swamps, 
and  should  not  have  been  back  to-night  had  we  not 
luckily  fallen  upon  a  man  fishing,  who  was  able  to  put 
us  right.  You  have  got  some  supper,  I  hope,  for 
Egbert  and  I  are  as  hungry  as  wolves,  for  we  have  had 
nothing  since  we  started  before  sunrise." 


FUGITIVES.  7 

"  I  have  plenty  to  eat,  father;  but  you  will  have  to 
wait  till  it  is  cooked,  for  it  was  no  use  putting  it  over  the 
fire  until  I  knew  that  you  would  return;  but  there  is  a 
good  fire,  and  you  will  not  have  to  wait  long.  And  how 
has  it  fared  with  you,  and  what  is  the  news?  " 

"  The  news  is  bad,  Edmund.  The  Danes  are  ever 
receiving  re-enforcements  from  Mercia,  and  scarce  a  day 
passes  but  fresh  bands  arrive  at  Thetford,  and  I  fear 
that  ere  long  East  Anglia,  like  Northumbria,  will  fall 
into  their  clutches.  Nay,  unless  we  soon  make  head 
against  them  they  will  come  to  occupy  all  the  island, 
just  as  did  our  forefathers," 

"  That  were  shame  indeed ! "  Edmund  exclaimed. 
"  We  know  that  the  people  conquered  by  our  ancestors 
were  unwarlike  and  cowardly;  but  it  would  be  shame 
indeed  were  we  Saxons  so  to  be  overcome  by  the  Danes, 
seeing  moreover  that  we  have  the  help  of  God,  being 
Christians,  while  the  Danes  are  pagans  and  idolaters." 

"  Nevertheless,  my  son,  for  the  last  five  years  these 
heathen  have  been  masters  of  Northumbria,  have  wasted 
the  whole  country,  and  have  plundered  and  destroyed 
the  churches  and  monasteries.  At  present  they  have 
but  made  a  beginning  here  in  East  Anglia;  but  if  they 
continue  to  flock  in  they  will  soon  overrun  the  whole 
country,  instead  of  having,  as  at  present,  a  mere  foothold 
near  the  rivers  except  for  those  who  have  come  down  to 
Thetford.  We  have  been  among  the  first  sufferers,  see- 
ing that  our  lands  lie  round  Thetford,  and  hitherto  I 
have  hoped  that  there  would  be  a  general  rising  against 
these  invaders;  but  the  king  is  indolent  and  unwarlike, 
and  I  see  that  he  will  not  arouse  himself  and  call  his 
ealdormen  and  thanes  together  for  a  united  effort  until 


8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

it  is  too  late.  Already  from  the  north  the  Danes  are 
flocking  down  into  Mercia,  and  although  the  advent  of 
the  West  Saxons  to  the  aid  of  the  King  of  Mercia  forced 
them  to  retreat  for  a  while,  I  doubt  not  that  they  will 
soon  pour  down  again." 

"  'Tis  a  pity,  father,  that  the  Saxons  are  not  all  under 
one  leading;  then  we  might  surely  defend  England 
against  the  Danes.  If  the  people  did  but  rise  and  fall 
upon  each  band  of  Northmen  as  they  arrived  they  would 
get  no  footing  among  us." 

"  Yes,"  the  father  replied,  "  it  is  the  unhappy  divisions 
between  the  Saxon  kingdoms  which  have  enabled  the 
Danes  to  get  so  firm  a  footing  in  the  land.  Our  only 
hope  now  lies  in  the  West  Saxons.  Until  lately  they 
were  at  feud  with  Mercia;  but  the  royal  families  are  now 
related  by  marriage,  seeing  that  the  King  of  Mercia  is 
wedded  to  a  West  Saxon  princess,  and  that  Alfred,  the 
West  Saxon  king's  brother,  and  heir  to  the  throne,  has 
lately  espoused  one  of  the  royal  blood  of  Mercia.  The 
fact  that  they  marched  at  the  call  of  the  King  of  Mercia 
and  drove  the  Danes  from  Nottingham  shows  that  the 
West  Saxon  princes  are  alive  to  the  common  danger  of 
the  country,  and  if  they  are  but  joined  heartily  by  our 
people  of  East  Anglia  and  the  Mercians,  they  may  yet 
succeed  in  checking  the  progress  of  these  heathen.  And 
now,  Edmund,  as  we  see  no  hope  of  any  general  eflfort 
to  drive  the  Danes  oflF  our  coasts,  'tis  useless  for  us  to 
lurk  here  longer.  I  propose  to-morrow,  then,  to  jour- 
ney north  into  Lincolnshire,  to  the  abbey  of  Croyland, 
where,  as  you  know,  my  brother  Theodore  is  the  abbot; 
there  we  can  rest  in  peace  for  a  time,  and  watch  the 
progress  of  events.     If  we  hear  that  the  people  of  these 


FUGITIVES.  91 

parts  are  aroused  from  their  lethargy,  we  will  come  back 
and  fight  for  our  home  and  lands ;  if  not,  I  will  no  longer 
stay  in  East  Anglia,  which  I  see  is  destined  to  fall 
piecemeal  into  the  hands  of  the  Danes;  but  we  will  jour- 
ney down  to  Somerset,  and  I  will  pray  King  Ethelbert 
to  assign  me  lands  there,  and  to  take  me  as  his  thane." 

While  they  had  been  thus  talking  Egbert  had  been 
broiling  the  eels  and  wild  ducks  over  the  fire.  He  was 
a  freeman,  and  a  distant  relation  of  Edmund's  father, 
Eldred,  who  was  an  ealdorman  in  West  Norfolk,  his  lands 
lying  beyond  Thetford,  and  upon  whom,  therefore,  the 
first  brunt  of  the  Danish  invasion  from  Mercia  had 
fallen.  He  had  made  a  stout  resistance,  and  assem- 
bling his  people  had  given  battle  to  the  invaders.  These, 
however,  were  too  strong  and  numerous,  and  his  force 
having  been  scattered  and  dispersed,  he  had  sought 
refuge  with  Egbert  and  his  son  in  the  fen  country. 
Here  he  had  remained  for  two  months  in  hopes  that 
some  general  efifort  would  be  made  to  drive  back  the 
Danes;  but  being  now  convinced  that  at  present  the 
Angles  were  too  disunited  to  join  in  a  common  effort, 
he  determined  to  retire  for  a  while  from  the  scene. 

"  I  suppose,  father,"  Edmund  said,  "  you  will  leave 
your  treasures  buried  here?" 

"Yes,"  his  father  replied;  "we  have  no  means  of 
transporting  them,  and  we  can  at  any  time  return  and 
fetch  them.  We  must  dig  up  the  big  chest  and  take 
such  garments  as  we  may  need,  and  the  personal  orna- 
ments of  our  rank;  but  the  rest,  with  the  gold  and  silver 
vessels,  can  remain  here  till  we  need  them." 

Gold  and  silver  vessels  seem  little  in  accordance  with 
the  primitive  mode  of  life  prevailing  in  the  ninth  century. 


lO  THE  DRAGON  AKD  THE  RAVEN. 

The  Saxon  civilization  was  indeed  a  mixed  one.  Their 
mode  of  Hfe  was  primitive,  their  dwelhngs,  with  the 
exception  of  the  rehgious  houses  and  the  abodes  of  a 
few  of  the  great  nobles,  simple  in  the  extreme;  but  they 
possessed  vessels  of  gold  and  silver,  armlets,  necklaces, 
and  ornaments  of  the  same  metals,  rich  and  brightly 
colored  dresses,  and  elaborate  bed  furniture,  while  their 
tables  and  household  utensils  were  of  the  roughest  kind, 
and  their  floors  strewn  with  rushes.  When  they  in- 
vaded and  conquered  England  they  found  existing  the 
civilization  introduced  by  the  Romans,  which  was  far  in 
advance  of  their  own;  much  of  this  they  adopted.  The 
introduction  of  Christianity  further  advanced  them  in 
the  scale. 

The  prelates  and  monks  from  Rome  brought  with 
them  a  high  degree  of  civilization,  and  this  to  no  small 
extent  the  Saxons  imitated  and  borrowed.  The  Church 
was  held  in  much  honor,  great  wealth  and  possessions 
were  bestowed  upon  it,  and  the  bishops  and  abbots  pos- 
sessed large  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  power,  and 
bore  a  prominent  part  in  the  councils  of  the  kingdoms. 
But  even  in  the  handsome  and  well-built  monasteries, 
with  their  stately  services  and  handsome  vestments, 
learning  was  at  the  lowest  ebb — so  low,  indeed,  that 
when  Prince  Alfred  desired  to  learn  Latin  he  could  find 
no  one  in  his  father's  dominions  capable  of  teaching 
him,  and  his  studies  were  for  a  long  time  hindered  for 
want  of  an  instructor,  and  at  the  time  he  ascended  the 
throne  he  was  probably  the  only  Englishman  outside  a 
monastery  who  was  able  to  read  and  write  fluently. 

"  Tell  me,  father,"  Edmund  said,  after  the  meal  was 
concluded,  "  about  the  West  Saxons,  ^nce  it  is  to  them. 


FUGITIVES.  II 

as  it  seems,  that  we  must  look  for  the  protection  of  Eng- 
land against  the  Danes.  This  Prince  Alfred,  of  whom  I 
before  heard  you  speak  in  terms  of  high  praise,  is  the 
brother,  is  he  not,  of  the  king?  In  that  case  how  is  it 
that  he  does  not  reign  in  Kent,  which  I  thought,  though 
joined  to  the  West  Saxon  kingdom,  was  always  ruled 
over  by  the  eldest  son  of  the  king?  " 

"  Such  has  been  the  rule,  Edmund ;  but  seeing  the 
troubled  times  when  Ethelbert  came  to  the  throne,  it 
was  thought  better  to  unite  the  two  kingdoms  under 
one  crown  with  the  understanding  that  at  Ethelbert's 
death  Alfred  should  succeed  him.  Their  father,  Ethel- 
wulf,  was  a  weak  king,  and  should  have  been  bom  a 
churchman  rather  than  a  prince.  He  nominally  reigned 
over  Wessex,  Kent,  and  Mercia,  but  the  last  paid  him 
but  a  slight  allegiance.  Alfred  was  his  favorite  son, 
and  he  sent  him,  when  quite  a  child,  to  Rome  for  a  visit. 
In  855  he  himself,  with  a  magnificent  retinue,  and 
accompanied  by  Alfred,  visited  Rome,  traveling  through 
the  land  of  the  Franks,  and  it  was  there,  doubtless,  that 
Alfred  acquired  that  love  of  learning,  and  many  of  those 
ideas,  far  in  advance  of  his  people,  which  distinguish 
him.  His  mother,  Osburga,  died  before  he  and  his 
father  started  on  the  pilgrimage.  The  king  was  re- 
ceived with  much  honor  by  the  Pope,  to  whom  he  pre- 
sented a  gold  crown  of  four  pounds'  weight,  ten  dishes 
of  the  purest  gold,  a  sword  richly  set  in  gold,  two  gold 
images,  some  silver-gilt  urns,  stoles  bordered  with  gold 
and  purple,  white  silken  robes  embroidered  with  figures, 
and  other  costly  articles  of  clothing  for  the  celebration 
of  the  service  of  the  Church,  together  with  rich  presents 
in  gold  and  silver  to  the  churches,  bishops,  clergy,  and 


12  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

other  dwellers  in  Rome.  They  say  that  the  people  of 
Rome  marveled  much  at  these  magnificent  gifts  from  a 
king  of  a  country  which  they  had  considered  as  bar- 
barous. On  his  way  back  he  married  Judith,  daughter 
of  the  king  of  the  Franks;  a  foolish  marriage,  for  the 
king  was  far  advanced  in  years  and  Judith  was  but  a  girl. 

"  Ethelbald,  Ethel wulf's  eldest  son,  had  acted  as 
regent  in  his  father's  absence,  and  so  angered  was  he 
at  this  marriage  that  he  raised  his  standard  of  revolt 
against  his  father.  At  her  marriage  Judith  had  been 
crowned  queen,  and  this  was  contrary  to  the  customs  of 
the  West  Saxons,  therefore  Ethelbald  was  supported  by 
the  people  of  that  country;  on  his  father's  return  to 
England,  however,  father  and  son  met,  and  a  division  of 
the  kingdom  was  agreed  upon. 

"  Ethelbald  received  Wessex,  the  principal  part  of  the 
kingdom,  and  Ethelwulf  took  Kent,  which  he  had 
already  ruled  over  in  the  time  of  his  father  Egbert. 
Ethelwulf  died  a  few  months  afterward,  leaving  Kent  to 
Ethelbert,  his  second  surviving  son.  The  following 
year,  to  the  horror  and  indignation  of  the  people  of  the 
country,  Ethelbald  married  his  stepmother  Judith,  but 
two  years  afterward  died,  and  Ethelbert,  King  of  Kent, 
again  united  Wessex  to  his  dominions,  which  consisted 
of  Kent,  Surrey,  and  Sussex.  Ethelbert  reigned  but  a 
short  time,  and  at  his  death  Ethelred,  his  next  brother, 
ascended  the  throne.  Last  year  Alfred,  the  youngest 
brother,  married  Elswitha,  the  daughter  of  Ethelred 
Mucil,  Earl  of  the  Gainni,  in  Lincolnshire,  whose 
mother  was  one  of  the  royal  family  of  Mercia. 

"  It  was  but  a  short  time  after  the  marriage  that  the 
Danes  poured  into  Mercia  from  the  north.     Messengers 


rUGITlVES.  13 

were  sent  to  ask  the  assistance  of  the  West  Saxons. 
These  at  once  obeyed  the  summons,  and,  joining  the 
Mercians,  marched  against  the  Danes,  who  shut  them- 
selves up  in  the  strong  city  of  Nottingham,  and  were 
there  for  some  time  besieged.  The  place  was  strong, 
the  winter  at  hand,  and  the  time  of  the  soldiers'  service 
nearly  expired.  A  treaty  was  accordingly  made  by 
which  the  Danes  were  allowed  to  depart  unharmed  to 
the  north  side  of  the  Humber,  and  the  West  Saxons 
returned  to  their  kingdom. 

"  Such  is  the  situation  at  present,  but  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  Danes  will  not  long  remain  quiet,  but  will  soon 
gather  for  another  invasion;  ere  long,  too,  we  may 
expect  another  of  their  great  fleets  to  arrive  somewhere 
off  these  coasts;  and  every  Saxon  who  can  bear  arms 
had  need  take  the  field  to  fight  for  our  country  and  faith 
against  these  heathen  invaders.  Hitherto,  Edmund,  as 
you  know,  I  have  deeply  mourned  the  death  of  yoiu" 
mother,  and  of  your  sisters  who  died  in  infancy;  but 
now  I  feel  that  it  is  for  the  best,  for  a  terrible  time  is 
before  us.  We  men  can  take  refuge  in  swamp  and 
forest,  but  it  would  have  been  hard  for  delicate  women; 
and  those  men  are  best  off  who  stand  alone  and  are 
able  to  give  every  thought  and  ener^  to  the  defense  of 
their  country.  'Tis  well  that  you  are  now  approaching 
an  age  when  the  Saxon  youth  are  wont  to  take  their 
place  in  the  ranks  of  battle.  I  have  spared  no  pains  with 
your  training  in  arms,  and  though  assuredly  you  lack 
strength  yet  to  cope  in  hand-to-hand  conflict  with  these 
fierce  Danes,  you  may  yet  take  your  part  in  battle,  with 
me  on  one  side  of  you  and  Egbert  on  the  other.  I  have 
thought  over  many  things  of  late,  and  it  seems  to  me 


14  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

that  we  Saxons  have  done  harm  in  holding  the  people 
of  this  country  as  serfs." 

"  Why,  father,"  Edmund  exclaimed  in  astonishment, 
*'  surely  you  would  not  have  all  men  free  and  equal." 

"  The  idea  seems  strange  to  you,  no  doubt,  Edmund, 
and  it  appears  only  natural  that  some  men  should  be 
born  to  rule  and  others  to  labor,  but  this  might  be  so 
even  without  serfdom,  since,  as  you  know,  the  poorer 
freemen  labor  just  as  do  the  serfs,  only  they  receive  a 
somewhat  larger  guerdon  for  their  toil;  but  had  the  two 
races  mixed  more  closely  together;  had  serfdom  been 
abolished  and  all  men  been  free  and  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  we  should  have  been  able  to  show  a  far  better  front 
to  the  Danes,  seeing  that  the  serfs  are  as  three  to  one 
to  the  freemen." 

"  But  the  serfs  are  cowardly  and  spiritless,"  Edmund 
said ;  "  they  are  not  of  a  fighting  race,  and  fell  almost 
without  resistance  before  our  ancestors  when  they 
landed  here." 

"  Their  race  is,  no  doubt,  inferior  to  our  own,  Ed- 
mund," his  father  said,  "  seeing  that  they  are  neither 
so  tall  nor  so  strong  as  we  Saxons,  but  of  old  they  were 
not  deficient  in  bravery,  for  they  fought  as  stoutly 
against  the  Romans  as  did  our  own  sturdy  ancestors. 
After  having  been  for  hundreds  of  years  subject  to  the 
Roman  yoke,  and  having  no  occasion  to  use  arms,  they 
lost  their  manly  virtues,  and  when  the  Romans  left  them 
were  an  easy  prey  for  the  first  comer.  Our  fathers 
could  not  foresee  that  the  time  would  come  when  they, 
too,  in  turn  would  be  invaded.  Had  they  done  so,  me- 
thinks  they  would  not  have  set  up  so  broad  a  line  of 
separation   between   themselves   and   the    Britons,   but 


FUGITIVES.  15 

would  have  admitted  the  latter  to  the  rights  of  citizen- 
ship, in  which  case  intermarriage  would  have  taken  place 
freely,  and  the  whole  people  would  have  become  amalga- 
mated. The  Britons,  accustomed  to  our  free  institutions, 
and  taking  part  in  the  wars  between  the  various  Saxon 
kingdoms,  would  have  recovered  their  warlike  virtues, 
and  it  would  be  as  one  people  that  we  should  resist  the 
Danes.  As  it  is,  the  serfs,  who  form  by  far  the  largest 
part  of  the  population,  are  apathetic  and  cowardly;  they 
view  the  struggle  with  indifference,  for  what  signifies  to 
them  whether  Dane  or  Saxon  conquer;  they  have  no 
interest  in  the  struggle,  nothing  to  lose  or  to  gain;  it  is 
but  a  change  of  masters." 

Edmund  was  silent.  The  very  possibility  of  a  state  of 
things  in  which  there  should  be  no  serfs,  and  when  all 
men  should  be  free  and  equal,  had  never  occurred  to  him ; 
but  he  had  a  deep  respect  for  his  father,  who  bore  indeed 
the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  wisest  and  most  clear- 
headed of  the  nobles  of  East  Anglia,  and  it  seemed  to  him 
that  this  strange  and  novel  doctrine  contained  much 
truth  in  it.  Still  the  idea  was  as  strange  to  him  as  it 
would  have  been  to  the  son  of  a  Southern  planter  in 
America,  half  a  century  ago.  The  existence  of  slaves 
seemed  as  much  a  matter  of  course  as  that  of  horses  or 
dogs,  and  although  he  had  been  accustomed  to  see  from 
time  to  time  freedom  bestowed  upon  some  favorite  serf 
as  a  special  reward  for  services,  the  thought  of  a  general 
liberation  of  the  slaves  was  strange  and  almost  bewilder- 
ing, and  he  lay  awake,  puzzling  over  the  problem,  long 
after  his  father  and  kinsman  had  fallen  asleep. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    BATTLE    OF   KESTEVEN. 

The  following  morning  early  the  little  party  started. 
The  great  chest  was  dug  up  from  its  place  of  conceal- 
ment, and  they  resumed  their  ordinary  dresses.  The 
ealdorman  attired  himself  in  a  white  tunic  with  a  broad 
purple  band  round  the  lower  edge,  with  a  short  cloak  of 
green  cloth.  This  was  fastened  with  a  gold  brooch  at 
the  neck;  a  necklet  of  the  same  metal  and  several  gold 
bracelets  completed  his  costume,  except  that  he  wore  a 
flat  cap  and  sandals.  Edmund  had  a  green  tunic  and 
cloak  of  deep  red  color;  while  Egbert  was  dressed  in 
yellow  with  a  green  cloak — the  Saxons  being  extremely 
fond  of  bright  colors. 

All  wore  daggers,  whose  sheaths  were  incrusted  in  sil- 
ver, in  their  belts,  and  the  ealdorman  and  his  kinsman 
carried  short  broad-bladed  swords,  while  Edmund  had 
his  boar-spear.  Eldred  placed  in  the  pouch  which  hung 
at  his  side  a  bag  containing  a  number  of  silver  cubes  cut 
from  a  long  bar  and  roughly  stamped.  The  chest  was 
then  buried  again  in  its  place  of  concealment  among  the 
bushes  near  the  hut,  Edmund  placed  his  bows  and  arrows 
in  the  boat — ^not  that  in  which  Edmund  had  fished,  but 
the  much  larger  and  heavier  craft  which  Eldred  and 
Egbert  had  used — and  then  the  party,  with  the  hound, 
took  their  places  in  it.     The  ealdorman  and  Egbert  were 

x6 


THE    BATTLE    OF    KESTEVEN.  I7 

provided  with  long  poles,  and  with  these  they  sent  the 
little  boat  rapidly  through  the  water. 

After  poling  their  way  for  some  eight  hours  they, 
reached  the  town  of  Norwich,  to  which  the  Danes  had  not 
yet  penetrated ;  here,  procuring  what  articles  they  needed, 
they  proceeded  on  their  journey  to  Croyland,  making  a 
great  circuit  to  avoid  the  Danes  at  Thetford.  The 
country  was  for  the  most  part  covered  with  thick  forests, 
where  the  wild  boar  and  deer  roamed  undisturbed  by 
man,  and  where  many  wolves  still  lurked,  although  the 
number  in  the  country  had  been  greatly  diminished  by 
the  energetic  measures  which  King  Egbert  had  taken  for 
the  destruction  of  these  beasts.  Their  halting  places 
were  for  the  most  part  at  religious  houses,  which  then 
served  the  purpose  of  inns  for  travelers,  being  freely 
opened  to  those  whom  necessity  or  pleasure  might  cause 
to  journey.  Everywhere  they  found  the  monks  in  a  state 
of  alarm  at  the  progress  of  the  Danes,  who,  wherever 
they  went,  destroyed  the  churches  and  religious  houses, 
and  slew  the  monks. 

Eldred  was  everywhere  received  with  marked  honor; 
being  known  as  a  wise  and  valiant  noble,  his  opinions 
on  the  chances  of  the  situation  were  eagerly  listened  to, 
and  he  found  the  monks  at  all  their  halting  places  pre- 
pared, if  need  be,  to  take  up  arms  and  fight  the  pagan  in- 
vaders, as  those  of  Mercia  and  Wessex  had  done  in  the 
preceding  autumn.  The  travelers,  cm  arriving  at  Croy- 
land, were  warmly  welcomed. 

"  I  heard,  brother,"  the  abbot  said,  "  that  you  had 
bravely  fought  against  the  Danes  near  Thetford,  and 
have  been  sorely  anxious  since  the  news  came  of  the  dis- 
persal of  your  force." 


l8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  I  have  been  in  hiding,"  Eldred  said,  "  hoping  that 
a  general  effort  would  be  made  against  the  invaders.  My 
own  power  was  broken,  since  all  my  lands  are  in  their 
hands.  The  people  of  East  Anglia  foolishly  seem  to  sup- 
pose that,  so  long  as  the  Danes  remain  quiet,  the  time  has 
not  come  for  action.  They  will  repent  their  lethargy 
some  day,  for,  as  the  Danes  gather  in  strength,  they  will 
burst  out  over  the  surrounding  country  as  a  dammed- 
up  river  breaks  its  banks.  No,  brother,  I  regard  East 
Anglia  as  lost,  so  far  as  depends  upon  itself;  its  only  hope 
is  in  the  men  of  Kent  and  Wessex,  whom  we  must  now 
look  upon  as  our  champions,  and  who  may  yet  stem  the 
tide  of  invasion  and  drive  back  the  Danes.  This  abbey 
of  yours  stands  in  a  perilous  position,  being  not  far  re- 
moved from  the  Humber,  where  so  many  of  the  Danes 
find  entrance  to  England." 

"  It  is  not  without  danger,  Eldred,  but  the  men  of  the 
fens  are  numerous,  hardy,  and  brave,  and  will  offer  a 
tough  resistance  to  any  who  may  venture  to  march 
hitherward,  and  if,  as  I  hope,  you  will  stay  with  us,  and 
will  undertake  their  command,  we  may  yet  for  a  long 
time  keep  the  Danes  from  our  doors." 

For  some  weeks  the  time  passed  quietly.  Edmund 
spent  most  of  his  time  in  hunting,  being  generally  ac- 
companied by  Egbert.  The  Saxon  was  an  exceedingly 
tall  and  powerful  man,  slow  and  scanty  of  speech,  who 
had  earned  for  himself  the  title  of  Egbert  the  Silent.  He 
was  devoted  to  his  kinsmen  and  regarded  himself  as 
special  guardian  of  Edmund.  He  had  instructed  him  in 
the  use  of  arms,  and  always  accompanied  him  when  he 
went  out  to  hunt  the  boar,  standing  ever  by  his  side 
to  aid  him  to  receive  the  rush  of  the  wounded  and 


THE    BATTLE   OF    KESTEVEN.  I^ 

furious  beasts;  and  more  than  once,  when  Edmund  had 
been  borne  down  by  their  onslaughts,  and  would  have 
been  severely  wounded,  if  not  killed,  a  sweeping  blow  of 
Egbert's  sword  had  rid  him  of  his  assailant. 

Sometimes  Edmund  made  excursions  in  the  fens, 
where  with  nets  and  snares  he  caught  the  fish  which 
swarmed  in  the  sluggish  waters;  or,  having  covered  his 
boat  with  a  leafy  bower  until  it  resembled  a  floating  bush, 
drifted  close  to  the  flocks  of  wild  fowl,  and  with  his  bow 
and  arrows  obtained  many  a  plump  wild  duck.  Smaller 
birds  were  caught  in  snares  or  traps,  or  with  bird-lime 
smeared  on  twigs.  Eldred  seldom  joined  his  son  in  his 
hunting  excursions,  as  he  was  busied  with  his  brother, 
the  abbot,  in  concerting  the  measures  of  defense  and  in 
organizing  a  band  of  messengers,  who,  on  the  first  warn- 
ing of  danger,  could  be  dispatched  throughout  the  fens 
to  call  in  the  fisher  population  to  the  defense  of  the  abbey. 

It  was  on  the  i8th  of  September,  870,  that  a  messenger 
arrived  at  the  abbey  and  craved  instant  speech  with  the 
prior.  The  latter,  who  was  closeted  with  his  brother, 
ordered  the  man  to  be  admitted. 

"  I  come,"  he  said,  "  from  Algar  the  ealdorman.  He 
bids  me  tell  you  that  a  great  Danish  host  has  landed 
from  the  Humber  at  Lindsay.  The  rich  monastery  of 
Bardenay  has  been  pillaged  and  burned.  Algar  is 
assembling  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  marsh  lands  to  give 
them  battle,  and  he  prays  you  to  send  what  help  you  can 
spare,  for  assuredly  they  will  march  hither  should  he  be 
defeated." 

"  Return  to  the  ealdorman  "  the  abbot  said;  "tell  him 
that  every  lay  brother  and  monk  who  can  bear  arms  shall 
march  hence  to  join  him  under  the  command  of  lay_ 


80  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

brother  Toley,  whose  deeds  of  arms  against  the  Danes 
in  Mercia  are  well  known  to  him.  My  brother  here, 
Eldred,  will  head  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  marshes  of 
this  neighborhood.  With  these  and  the  brothers  of  the 
abbey — in  all,  as  I  reckon,  nigh  four  hundred  men — he 
-will  to-morrow  march  to  join  Algar." 

Messengers  were  at  once  sent  off  through  the  sur- 
rounding country,  bidding  every  man  assemble  on  the 
morrow  morning  at  Croyland,  and  soon  after  daybreak 
they  began  to  arrive.  Some  were  afmed  with  swords; 
some  with  long  sickles,  used  in  cutting  rushes,  tied  to 
poles;  some  had  fastened  long  pieces  of  iron  to  oars  to 
serve  as  pikes.  They  were  a  rough  and  somewhat 
ragged  throng,  but  Eldred  saw  with  satisfaction  that  they 
were  a  hard  and  sturdy  set  of  men,  accustomed  to  fatigue 
and  likely  to  stand  firm  in  the  hour  of  battle. 

Most  of  them  carried  shields  made  of  plaited  osiers 
covered  with  skin.  The  armory  of  the  abbey  was  well 
supplied,  and  swords  and  axes  were  distributed  among 
the  worst  armed  of  the  fenmen.  Then,  with  but  little 
order  or  regularity,  but  with  firm  and  cheerful  counte- 
nances, as  men  determined  to  win  or  die,  the  band  moved 
off  under  Eldred's  command,  followed  by  the  contingent 
of  the  abbey,  eighty  strong,  under  lay  brother  Toley. 

A  sturdy  band  were  these  monks,  well  fed  and  vigor- 
ous. They  knew  that  they  had  no  mercy  to  expect  from 
the  Danes,  and,  regarding  them  as  pagans  and  enemies 
of  their  religion  as  well  as  of  their  country,  could  be 
trusted  to  do  their  utmost.  Late  that  evening  they 
joined  Algar  at  the  place  they  had  appointed,  and  found 
that  a  large  number  erf  the  people  of  the  marshes  had 
gathered  round  his  banner. 


THE    BATTLE   OF    KESTEVEN.  91 

The  Danes  had  not  moved  as  yet  from  Bardenay,  and 
Algar  determined  to  wait  for  another  day  or  two  before 
advancing,  in  order  to  give  time  to  others  farther  from  the 
scene  of  action  to  arrive. 

The  next  day  came  the  contingents  from  several  other 
priories  and  abbeys,  and  the  sight  of  the  considerable 
force  gathered  together  gave  heart  and  confidence  to  all. 
Algar,  Eldred,  and  the  other  leaders,  Morcar,  Osgot,  and 
Harding,  moved  about  among  the  host,  encouraging 
them  with  cheering  words,  warning  them  to  be  in  no  way 
intimidated  by  the  fierce  appearance  of  the  Danes,  but  to 
hold  steadfast  and  firm  in  the  ranks,  and  to  yield  no  foot 
of  ground  to  the  onslaught  of  the  enemy.  Many  priests 
had  accompanied  the  contingents  from  the  religious 
houses,  and  these  added  their  exhortations  to  those  of  the 
leaders;  telling  the  men  that  Grod  would  assuredly  fight 
on  their  side  against  the  heathen,  and  bidding  each  man 
remember  that  defeat  meant  the  destruction  of  their 
churches  and  altars,  the  overthrow  of  their  whole  re- 
ligion, and  the  restored  worship  of  the  pagan  gods. 

Edmund  went  about  among  the  gathering,  taking  great 
interest  in  the  wild  scene,  for  these  marshmen  differed 
much  in  their  appearance  from  the  settled  inhabitants  of 
his  father*s  lands.  The  scenes  in  the  camp  were  indeed 
varied  in  their  character.  Here  and  there  were  harpers 
with  groups  of  listeners  gathered  round,  as  they  sung  the 
exploits  of  their  fathers,  and  animated  their  hearers  to 
fresh  fire  and  energy  by  relating  legends  of  the  cruelty 
of  the  merciless  Danes.  Other  groups  there  were,  sur- 
rounding the  priests,  who  were  appealing  to  their  relig- 
ious feelings  as  well  as  to  their  patriotism. 

Men  sat  about  sharpening  their  weapons,  fixing  on 


-AS  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

more  firmly  the  handles  of  their  shields,  adjusting  arrows 
to  bowstrings,  and  preparing  in  other  ways  for  the  com- 
ing fight.  From  some  of  the  fires,  round  which  the 
marshmen  were  sitting,  came  snatches  of  boisterous  song, 
while  here  and  there,  apart  from  the  crowd,  priests  were 
hearing  confessions  and  shriving  penitents. 

The  next  morning  early,  one  of  the  scouts,  who  had 
been  sent  to  observe  the  movements  of  the  Danes,  re- 
ported that  these  were  issuing  from  their  camp  and  ad- 
vancing into  the  country. 

Algar  marshaled  his  host,  each  part  under  its  leaders, 
and  moved  to  meet  them.  Near  Kesteven  the  armies 
came  in  sight  of  each  other,  and  after  advancing  until 
but  a  short  distance  apart  both  halted  to  marshal  their 
ranks  anew.  Eldred,  with  the  men  of  the  marshes  near 
Croyland  and  the  contingent  from  the  abbey,  had  their 
post  in  the  central  division,  which  was  commanded  by 
Algar  himself;  Edmund  took  post  by  his  father,  and 
Egbert  stood  beside  him. 

Edmund  had  never  before  seen  the  Danes,  and  he 
could  not  but  admit  that  their  appearance  was  enough  to 
shake  the  stoutest  heart.  All  carried  great  shields  cover- 
ing them  from  head  to  foot.  These  were  composed  of 
wood,  bark,  or  leather  painted  or  embossed,  and  in  the 
cases  of  the  chiefs  plated  with  gold  and  silver.  So  large 
were  these  that  in  naval  encounters,  if  the  fear  of  falling 
into  the  enemy's  hands  forced  them  to  throw  themselves 
into  the  sea,  they  could  float  on  their  shields;  and  after 
death  in  battle  a  soldier  was  carried  to  his  grave  on  his 
buckler.  As  they  stood  facing  the  Saxons  they  locked 
their  shields  together  so  as  to  form  a  barrier  well-nigh 
impregnable  against  the  arrows. 


THE    BATTLE    OF    KRSTKVEN.  9$ 

AH  wore  helmets — the  common  men  of  leather,  the 
leaders  of  iron  or  copper — ^while  many,  in  addition,  wore 
coats  of  mail.  Each  carried  a  sword,  a  battle-ax,  and  a 
bow  and  arrows.  Some  of  the  swords  were  short  and 
curled  like  a  scimitar;  others  were  long  and  straight,  and 
were  wielded  with  both  hands.  They  wore  their  hair 
long  and  hanging  down  their  shoulders,  and  for  the  most 
part  shaved  their  cheeks  and  chins,  but  wore  their 
mustaches  very  long. 

They  were,  for  the  most,  tall,  lithe,  and  sinewy  men,  but 
physically  in  no  way  superior  to  the  Saxons,  from  whom 
they  differed  very  widely  in  complexion,  the  Saxons  be- 
ing fair  while  the  Danes  were  very  dark,  as  much  so  as 
modern  gfypsies;  indeed,  the  Saxon  historians  speak  of 
them  as  the  black  pagans.  Upon  the  other  hand  many 
of  the  Northmen,  being  Scandinavians,  were  as  fair  as  the 
Saxons  themselves. 

The  Danes  began  the  battle;  those  in  front  shouting 
fiercely,  and  striking  their  swords  on  their  shields  with 
a  clashing  noise,  while  the  ranks  behind  shot  a  shower  of 
arrows  among  the  Saxons.  These  at  once  replied.  The 
combat  was  not  continued  long  at  a  distance,  for  the 
Danes,  with  a  mighty  shout,  rushed  upon  the  Saxons. 
These  stood  their  ground  firmly  and  a  desperate  con- 
flict ensued.  The  Saxon  chiefs  vied  with  each  other  in 
acts  of  bravery,  and  singling  out  the  leaders  of  the 
Danes  engaged  with  them  in  hand-to-hand  conflict. 

Algar  had  placed  his  swordsmen  in  the  front  line, 
those  armed  with  spears  in  the  second ;  and  as  the  swords- 
men battled  with  the  Danes  the  spearmen,  when  they  saw 
a  shield  uplifted  to  guard  the  head,  thrust  under  with 
their  weapons  and  slew  many.     Edmund,  seeing  that 


84  THB  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

xvith  his  sword  he  should  have  but  httle  chance  against 
these  fierce  soldiers,  fell  a  little  behind  his  father  and  kins- 
man, and  as  these  were  engaged  with  the  enemy  he  from 
time  to  time,  when  he  saw  an  opportunity,  rushed  in 
and  delivered  a  thrust  with  his  spear  at  an  unguarded 
point.  The  Saxon  shouts  rose  louder  and  louder  as  the 
Danes  in  vain  endeavored  to  break  through  their  line. 
The  monks  fought  stoutly,  and  many  a  fierce  Norseman 
fell  before  their  blows. 

The  Danes,  who  had  not  expected  ^so  firm  a  resistance, 
began  to  hesitate,  and  Algar  giving  the  word,  the  Sax- 
ons took  the  offensive,  and  the  line  pressed  forward  step 
by  step.  The  archers  poured  their  arrows  in  a  storm 
among  the  Danish  ranks.  These  fell  back  before  the 
onslaught.  Already  three  of  their  kings  and  many  of 
their  principal  leaders  had  fallen,  and  at  last,  finding 
themselves  unable  to  withstand  the  impetuous  onslaught 
of  the  Saxons,  they  turned  and  fled  in  confusion  toward 
their  camp.  The  Saxons  with  exulting  shouts  pursued 
them,  and  great  numbers  were  slaughtered.  The  Danes 
had,  however,  as  was  their  custom,  fortified  the  camp 
before  advancing,  and  Algar  drew  off  his  troops,  deeming 
that  it  would  be  better  to  defer  the  attack  on  this  position 
until  the  following  day. 

There  was  high  feasting  in  the  Saxon  camp  that  even- 
ing, but  this  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  conclusion  by  the 
arrival  of  a  scout,  who  reported  that  a  great  Danish  army 
marching  from  the  Humber  was  approaching  the  camp 
of  their  compatriots.  The  news  was  but  too  true.  The 
kings  Guthorm,  Bergsecg,  Oskytal,  Halfdene,  and 
Amund,  and  the  jarls  Frene,  Hingwar,  Hubba,  and  the 


THE   BATTLE    OF    KESTEVEN".  2$ 

two  Sidrocs,  with  all  their  followers,  had  marched  down 
from  Yorkshire  to  join  the  invaders  who  had  just  landed. 

The  news  of  this  immense  re-enforcement  spread  con- 
sternation among  the  Angles.  In  vain  their  leaders  went 
about  among  them  and  exhorted  them  to  courage,  prom- 
ising them  another  victory  as  decisive  as  that  they  had 
won  that  day.  Their  entreaties  were  in  vain,  for  when 
the  morning  dawned  it  was  found  that  three-fourths  of 
their  number  had  left  the  camp  during  the  night,  and 
had  made  off  to  the  marshes  and  fastnesses. 

A  council  of  the  chiefs  was  held.  The  chances  of  con- 
flict appeared  hopeless,  so  vastly  were  they  outnumbered 
by  the  Danes.  Algar,  however,  declared  that  he  would 
die  rather  than  retreat. 

"  If  we  fly  now,"  he  said,  "  all  East  Anglia  will  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  heathen.  Even  should  we  fight 
and  fall,  the  example  of  what  a  handful  of  brave  men  can 
do  against  the  invaders  will  surely  animate  the  Angles 
to  further  resistance ;  while  if  we  conquer,  so  great  a  blow 
will  be  dealt  to  the  renown  of  these  Danes  that  all  Eng- 
land will  rise  against  them." 

On  hearing  these  words  all  the  chiefs  came  to  the 
determination  to  win  or  die  as  they  stood.  Eldred  took 
Edmund  aside  after  this  determination  had  been 
arrived  at. 

"  My  son,"  he  said,  "  I  allowed  you  yesterday  to  stand 
by  my  side  in  battle,  and  well  and  worthily  did  you  bear 
yourself,  but  to-day  you  must  withdraw.  The  fight  is 
well-nigh  hopeless,  and  I  believe  that  all  who  take  part 
in  it  are  doomed  to  perish.  I  would  not  that  my  house 
should  altogether  disappear,  and  shall  die  more  cheer- 


a6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

fully  in  the  hope  that  some  day  you  will  avenge  me  upon 
these  heathen.  Therefore,  Edmund,  I  bid  you  take 
station  at  a  distance  behind  the  battle,  so  that  when  you 
see  the  day  goes  against  us  ^ou  may  escape  in  time.  I 
shall  urge  our  faithful  Egbert  to  endeavor,  when  he  sees 
that  all  is  lost,  to  make  his  way  from  the  fight  and  rejoin 
}rou,  and  to  journey  with  you  to  Wessex  and  there  pre- 
sent you  to  the  king.  For  myself,  if  the  battle  is  lost,  I 
shall  die  rather  than  fly.  Such  is  the  resolution  of  Algar 
and  our  other  brjave  chiefs,  and  Eldred  the  ealdorman 
must  not  be  the  only  one  of  the  leaiders  to  run  from  the 
fray." 

Edmund  was  deeply  touched  at  his  father's  words, 
but  the  parental  rule  was  so  strict  in  those  days  that  it 
did  not  even  enter  his  mind  to  protest  against  Eldred's 
decision. 

As  the  morning  went  on  the  Danes  were  engaged  in 
the  funeral  ceremonies  of  their  dead  kings,  while  the  Sax- 
ons, quiet  and  resolute,  received  the  holy  sacrament  and 
prepared  for  the  fight.  Algar  chose  a  position  on  rising 
ground.  He  himself  with  Eldred  commanded  the  center, 
Toley  and  Morcar  led  the  right  wing,  Osgot  and  Harding 
the  left. 

Each  of  these  wings  contained  about  five  hundred  men. 
Algar's  center,  which  was  a  little  withdrawn  from  its 
wings,  contained  about  two  hundred  of  his  best  warriors, 
and  was  designed  as  a  reserve,  with  which,  if  need  be, 
he  could  move  to  the  assistance  of  either  of  the  wings 
which  might  be  sorely  pressed  and  in  danger.  The  Sax- 
ons formed  in  a  solid  mass  with  their  bucklers  linked 
together.    The  Danish  array  which  issued  out  from  their 


THK   BATTLE   OF    KESTEVEN.  37 

camp  was  vastly  superior  in  numbers,  and  was  com- 
manded by  four  kings  and  eight  jarls  or  earls,  while  two 
kings  and  four  earls  remained  in  charge  of  the  camp,  and 
of  the  great  crowd  of  prisoners,  for  the  most  part  women 
and  children,  whom  they  had  brought  with  them. 

With  the  Danes  who  had  come  down  from  Yorkshire 
were  a  large  body  of  horsemen,  who  charged  furiously 
down  upon  the  Saxons;  but  these  maintained  so  firm  an 
array,  with  their  lances  and  spears  projecting  outward, 
that  the  Danes  failed  to  break  through  them,  and  after 
making  repeated  efforts  and  suffering  heavy  loss  they 
drew  back.  Then  the  Danish  archers  and  slingers 
poured  in  a  storm  of  missiles,  but  these  effected  but 
Httle  harm,  as  the  Saxons  stooped  a  little  behind  their 
closely  packed  line  of  bucklers,  which  were  stout  enough 
to  keep  out  the  shower  of  arrows.  All  day  the  struggle 
continued.  Again  and  again  the  Danes  strove  to  break 
the  solid  Saxon  array,  and  with  sword  and  battle-ax 
attempted  to  hew  down  the  hedge  of  spears,  but  in  vain. 
At  last  their  leaders,  convinced  that  they  could  not  over- 
come the  obstinacy  of  the  resistance,  ordered  their 
followers  to  feign  a  retreat. 

As  the  Danes  turned  to  fly  the  Saxons  set  up  a  tri- 
umphant shout,  and  breaking  up  their  solid  phalanx 
rushed  after  them  in  complete  disorder.  In  vain  Algar, 
Osgot,  Toley,  Eldred,  and  the  other  leaders  shouted  to 
them  to  stand  firm.  Weary  of  their  long  inactivity,  and 
convinced  that  the  Danes  were  routed,  the  Saxons  pur- 
sued them  across  the  plain.  Suddenly  the  Danish  horse, 
who,  after  failing  to  break  through  the  ranks,  had  re- 
mained apart  at  a  short  distance  from  the  conflict,  dashed 


28  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

down  upon  the  disordered  Saxons,  while  the  flying  ir^- 
fantry,  turning  round,  also  fell  upon  them  with  exulting 
shouts. 

Taken  wholly  by  surprise,  confused  and  disordered, 
the  Saxons  could  offer  no  effectual  exposition  to  the 
charge.  The  Danish  horse  rode  among  them  hewing 
and  slaying,  and  the  swords  and  battle-axes  of  the  foot- 
men completed  the  work.  In  a  few  minutes  of  all  the 
Saxon  band  which  had  for  so  many  hours  successfully 
resisted  the  onslaught  of  the  Danes,  not  one  survived 
save  a  few  fleet-footed  young  men  who,  throwing  away 
their  arms,  succeeded  in  making  their  escape,  and  a 
little  group,  consisting  of  Algar,  Toley,  Eldred,  and  the 
other  leaders  who  had  gathered  together  when  their  men 
broke  their  ranks  and  had  taken  up  their  position  on  a 
knoll  of  ground  rising  above  the  plain.  Here  for  a  long 
time  they  resisted  the  efforts  of  the  whole  of  the  Danes, 
surrounding  themselves  with  a  heap  of  slain;  but  at 
length  one  by  one  they  succumbed  to  the  Danish  on- 
slaught, each  fighting  valiantly  to  the  last. 

From  his  position  at  a  distance  Edmund  watched  the 
last  desperate  struggle.  With  streaming  eyes,  and  a 
heart  torn  by  anxiety  for  his  father,  he  could  see  the 
Danish  foe  swarming  round  the  little  band  who  defended 
the  crest.  These  were  lost  from  his  sight,  and  only  the 
flashing  of  swords  showed  where  the  struggle  was  still 
going  on  in  the  center  of  the  confused  mass.  Edmund 
had  been  on  his  knees  for  some  time,  but  he  now  rose. 

"  Come,  old  boy!  "  he  said  to  the  hound,  who  lay  beside 
him  watching  the  distant  conflict  and  occasionally  utter- 
ing deep,  angry  growls.  "  I  must  obey  my  father's 
last  command;  let  us  away." 


THE   BATTLE   OF   KESTEVEN.  29 

He  took  one  more  glance  at  the  distant  conflict  before 
turning.  It  was  plain  that  it  was  nearly  finished.  The 
swords  had  well-nigh  ceased  to  rise  and  fall  when  he  saw 
a  sudden  movement  in  the  throng  of  Danes  and  suddenly 
a  man  burst  out  from  them  and  started  at  headlong 
speed  toward  him,  pursued  by  a  number  of  Danes. 
Even  at  that  distance  Edmund  thought  that  he  recog- 
nized the  tall  figure  of  his  kinsman,  but  he  had  no  time  to 
assure  himself  of  this,  and  he  at  once,  accompanied  by 
his  hound,  set  off  at  the  top  of  his  speed  from  the  field 
of  battle.  He  had  fully  a  quarter  of  a  mile  start,  and 
being  active  and  hardy  and  accustomed  to  exercise  from 
his  childhood,  he  had  no  fear  that  the  Danes  would  over- 
take him.     Still  he  ran  his  hardest. 

Looking  over  his  shoulder  from  time  to  time,  he  saw 
that  at  first  the  Danes  who  were  pursuing  the  fugitive 
were  gaining  upon  him  also,  but  after  a  time  he  again 
increased  the  distance,  while,  being  unencumbered  with 
shield  or  heavy  weapons,  the  fugitive  kept  the  advantage 
he  had  at  first  gained.  Three  miles  from  the  battlefield 
Edmund  reached  the  edge  of  a  wide-spreading  wood. 
Looking  round  as  he  entered  its  shelter  he  saw  that  the 
flying  Saxon  was  still  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  behind 
him,  and  that  the  Danes,  despairing  of  overtaking  him, 
had  ceased  their  pursuit.  Edmund  therefore  checked  his 
footsteps  and  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  fugitive,  who  he 
now  felt  certain  was  his  kinsman. 

In  a  few  minutes  Egbert  came  up,  having  slackened 
his  speed  when  he  saw  that  he  was  no  longer  pursued. 
'He  was  bleeding  from  several  wounds,  and  now  that  the 
necessity  for  exertion  had  passed  he  walked  but  feebly 
along.    Without  a  word  he  flung  himself  on  the  ground 


30  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

by  Edmund  and  buried  his  face  in  his  arms,  and  the  lad 
could  see  by  the  shaking  of  his  broad  shoulders  that  he 
was  weeping  bitterly.  The  great  hound  walked  up  to  the 
"prostrate  figure  and  gave  vent  to  a  long  and  piteous  howl, 
and  then,  lying  down  by  Egbert's  side,  placed  his  head  on 
his  shoulder. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   MASSACRE   AT   CROYLAND. 

Edmund  wept  sorely  for  some  time,  for  he  knew  that 
his  kinsman's  agitation  could  be  only  caused  by  the 
death  of  his  father.     At  last  he  approached  Egbert. 

"  My  brave  kinsman,"  he  said,  "  I  need  ask  you  no 
questions,  for  I  know  but  too  well  that  my  dear  father  has 
fallen;  but  rouse  yourself,  I  pray  you;  let  me  bandage 
your  wounds,  which  bleed  fast,  for  you  will  want  all 
your  strength,  and  we  must  needs  pursue  our  way  well 
into  the  forest,  for  with  to-morrow's  dawn  the  Danes  will 
scatter  over  the  whole  country." 

"  Yes,"  Egbert  said,  turning  round  and  sitting  up,  "  I 
must  not  in  my  grief  forget  my  mission,  and  in  truth  I 
am  faint  with  loss  of  blood.  It  was  well  the  Danes 
stopped  when  they  did,  for  I  felt  my  strength  failing  me, 
and  could  have  held  out  but  little  further.  Yes,  Ed- 
mund," he  continued,  as  the  lad,  tearing  strips  from  his 
garments,  proceeded  to  bandage  his  wounds,  "  your 
father  is  dead.  Nobly,  indeed,  did  he  fight;  nobly  did 
he  die,  with  a  circle  of  dead  Danes  around  him.  He, 
Algar,  Toley,  and  myself  were  the  last  four  to  resist. 
Back  to  back  we  stood,  and  many  were  the  Danes  who 
fell  before  our  blows.  Toley  fell  first,  and  then  Algar. 
The  Danes  closed  closer  around  us.  Still  we  fought  on, 
till  your  father  was  beaten  to  his  knee,  and  then  he  cried 
to  me,  '  Fly,  Egbert,  to  my  son.'    Then  I  flung  myself 


32  THE   DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

upon  the  Danes  like  a  wild  boar  upon  the  dogs,  and  with 
the  suddenness  of  my  rush  and  the  heavy  blows  of  my 
battle-ax  cut  a  way  for  myself  through  them.  It  was 
well-nigh  a  miracle,  and  I  could  scarce  believe  it  when  I 
was  free.  I  flung  away  my  shield  and  helmet  as  soon  as 
I  had  well  begun  to  run,  for  I  felt  the  blood  gushing  out 
from  a  dozen  wounds,  and  knew  that  I  would  want  all 
my  strength.  I  soon  caught  sight  of  you  running  ahead 
of  me.  Had  I  found  we  were  gaining  upon  you  I  should 
have  turned  off  and  made  another  way  to  lead  the  Danes 
aside,  but  I  soon  saw  that  you  were  holding  your  own, 
and  so  followed  straight  on.  My  knees  trembled,  and 
I  felt  my  strength  was  well-nigh  gone,  when,  looking 
round,  I  found  the  Danes  had  desisted  from  their  pur- 
suit. I  grieve,  Edmund,  that  I  should  have  left  the 
battle  alive  when  all  the  others  have  died  bravely,  for, 
save  a  few  fleet-footed  youths,  I  believe  that  not  a  single 
Saxon  has  escaped  the  fight ;  but  your  father  had  laid  his 
commands  upon  me,  and  I  was  forced  to  obey,  though 
God  knows  I  would  rather  have  died  with  the  heroes  on 
that  field." 

"  'Tis  well  for  me  that  you  did  not,  my  good  Egbert," 
Edmund  said,  drying  his  eyes,  "  for  what  should  I  have 
done  in  this  troubled  land  without  one  protector?  " 

"It  was  the  thought  of  that,"  Egbert  said,  "that 
seemed  to  give  me  strength  as  I  dashed  at  the  Danes. 
And  now,  methinks,  I  am  strong  enough  to  walk  again. 
Let  us  make  our  way  far  into  the  forest,  then  we  must 
rest  for  the  night.  A  few  hours'  sleep  will  make  a  fresh 
man  of  me,  and  to-morrow  morning  we  will  go  to  Croy- 
land  and  see  what  the  good  abbot,  your  uncle,  proposes 
to  do;  then  will  we  to  the  hut  where  we  dwelt  before 


THE   MASSACRE   AT    CROYLAND.  33 

coming  hither.  We  will  dig  up  the  chest  and  take  out 
such  valuables  as  we  can  carry,  and  then  make  for  Wes- 
sex.  After  this  day's  work  I  have  no  longer  any  hope 
that  East  Anglia  will  successfully  oppose  the  Danes.  And 
yet  the  Angles  fought  well,  and  for  every  one  of  them 
who  has  fallen  in  these  two  days'  fighting  at  least  four 
Danes  must  have  perished.  Have  you  food,  Edmund, 
for  in  truth,  after  such  a  day's  work,  I  would  not  lie  down 
supperless?  " 

"  I  have  in  my  pouch  here,  Egbert,  some  cakes, 
which  I  cooked  this  morning,  and  a  capon  which  one 
of  the  monks  of  Croyland  gave  me.  I  was  tempted  to 
throw  it  away  as  I  ran." 

"  I"  am  right  glad,  Edmund,  that  the  temptation  was 
not  too  strong  for  you.  If  we  can  find  a  spring  we  shall 
do  well." 

It  was  now  getting  dark,  but  after  an  hour's  walk 
through  the  forest  they  came  upon  a  running  stream. 
They  lit  a  fire  by  its  side,  and  sitting  down  ate  the  supper, 
of  which  both  were  much  in  need.  Wolf  shared  the  re- 
past, and  then  the  three  lay  down  to  sleep.  Egbert, 
overcome  by  the  immense  exertions  he  had  made  during 
the  fight,  was  soon  asleep;  but  Edmund,  who  had  done 
his  best  to  keep  a  brave  face  before  his  kinsman,  wept  for 
hours  over  the  loss  of  his  gallant  father. 

On  the  following  morning  Egbert  and  Edmund  started 
for  Croyland.  The  news  of  the  defeat  at  Kesteven  had 
already  reached  the  abbey,  and  terror  and  consternation 
reigned  there.  Edmund  went  at  once  to  his  uncle  and 
informed  him  of  the  circumstances  of  the  death  of  his 
father  and  the  annihilation  of  the  Saxon  army. 

"  Your  news,  Edmund,  is  even  worse  than  the  rumor 


34  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

which  had  reached  me,  and  deeply  do  I  grieve  for  the  loss 
of  my  brave  brother  and  of  the  many  valiant  men  who 
died  with  him.  This  evening  or  to-morrow  the  spoilers 
will  be  here,  and  doubtless  will  do  to  Croyland  as  they 
have  done  to  all  the  other  abbeys  and  monasteries  which 
have  fallen  into  their  hands.  Before  they  come  you  and 
Egbert  must  be  far  away.  Have  you  bethought  you 
whither  you  will  betake  yourselves  ?  " 

"  We  are  going  to  the  king  of  the  West  Saxons," 
Edmund  replied.  "  Such  was  my  father's  intention,  and 
I  fear  that  all  is  now  lost  in  East  Anglia." 

"  Tis  your  best  course,  and  may  God's  blessing  and 
protection  rest  upon  you !  " 

"  But  what  are  you  going  to  do,  uncle?  Surely  you 
will  not  remain  here  until  the  Danes  arrive,  for,  though 
they  may  spare  other  men,  they  have  no  mercy  on  priests 
and  monks?  " 

"  I  shall  assuredly  remain  here,  Edmund,  at  my  post; 
and  as  my  brother  Eldred  and  Earl  Algar  and  their  brave 
companions  died  at  their  posts  in  the  field  of  battle,  so  I 
am  prepared  to  die  here  where  God  has  placed  me.  I 
shall  retain  here  with  me  only  a  few  of  the  most  aged 
and  infirm  monks,  too  old  to  fly  or  to  support  the  hard- 
ships of  the  life  of  a  hunted  fugitive  in  the  fens ;  together 
with  some  of  the  children  who  have  fled  here,  and  who, 
too,  could  not  support  such  a  life.  It  may  be  that  when 
the  fierce  Danes  arrive  and  find  naught  but  children  and 
aged  men  even  their  savage  breasts  may  be  moved  to 
pity;  but  if  not,  God's  will  be  done.  The  younger  breth- 
ren will  seek  refuge  in  the  fens,  and  will  carry  with  them 
the  sacred  relics  of  the  monastery — the  most  holy  body 
of  St.  Guthlac,  with  his  scourge  and  psalmistry — together 


THE  MASSACRE   AT   CROYLAND.  35 

with  the  most  valuable  jewels  and  muniments,  the 
charters  of  the  foundation  of  the  abbey,  given  by  King 
Ethelbald,  and  the  confirmation  thereof  by  other  kings, 
with  some  of  the  most  precious  g^fts  presented  to  the 
abbey." 

Edmund  and  Egbert  set  to  work  to  assist  the  weeping 
monks  in  making  preparations  for  their  departure.  A 
boat  was  laden  with  the  relics  of  the  saints,  the  muni- 
ments of  the  king,  and  the  most  precious  vessels.  The 
table  of  the  great  altar,  covered  with  plates  of  gold,  which 
King  Wichtlof  had  presented,  with  ten  gold  chalices,  and 
many  other  vessels,  was  thrown  into  the  well  of  the 
convent. 

In  the  distance  the  smoke  of  several  villages  could  now 
be  seen  rising  over  the  plain,  and  it  was  clear  that  the 
Danes  were  approaching.  The  ten  priests  and  twenty 
monks  who  were  to  leave  now  knelt  and  received  the 
solemn  benediction  of  the  abbot,  then,  with  Edmund  and 
Egbert,  they  took  their  places  in  the  boat  and  rowed  away 
to  the  wood  of  Ancarig,  which  lay  not  far  from  the  abbey. 

The  abbot  Theodore  and  the  aged  monks  and  priests 
now  returned  to  the  church,  and,  putting  on  their  vest- 
ments, commenced  the  services  of  the  day;  the  abbot 
himself  celebrated  high  mass,  assisted  by  brother  Elfget, 
the  deacon;  brother  Savin,  the  subdeacon;  and  the 
brothers  Egelred  and  Wyelric,  youths  who  acted  as 
taper-bearers.  When  the  mass  was  finished,  just  as  the 
abbot  and  his  assistants  had  partaken  of  the  holy  com- 
munion, the  Danes  burst  into  flie  church.  The  abbot 
was  slain  upon  the  holy  altar  by  the  hand  of  the  Danish 
king  Oskytal,  and  the  other  priests  and  monks  were  be- 
headed by  the  executioner. 


^  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

The  old  men  and  children  in  the  choir  were  seized  and 
tortured  to  disclose  where  the  treasures  of  the  abbey  were 
concealed,  and  were  also  put  to  death  with  the  prior  and 
subprior.  Turgar,  an  acolyte  of  ten  years  of  age,  a  re- 
markably beautiful  boy,  stood  by  the  side  of  the  sub- 
prior  as  he  was  murdered,  and  fearlessly  confronted  the 
Danes  and  bade  them  put  him  to  death  with  the  holy 
father.  The  young  Earl  Sidroc,  however,  struck  with 
the  bearing  of  the  child,  and  being  moved  with  com- 
passion, stripped  him  of  his  robe  and  cowl,  and  threw 
over  him  a  long  Danish  tunic  without  sleeves,  and  order- 
ing him  to  keep  close  by  him,  made  his  way  out  of  the 
monastery;  the  boy  being  the  only  one  who  was  saved 
from  the  general  massacre. 

The  Danes,  furious  at  being  able  to  find  none  of  the 
treasures  of  the  monastery,  broke  open  all  the  shrines  and 
leveled  the  marble  tombs,  including  those  of  St.  Guthlac, 
the  holy  virgin  Ethelbritha,  and  many  others,  but  found 
in  these  none  of  the  treasures  searched  for.  They  piled 
the  bodies  of  the  saints  in  a  heap  and  burned  them,  to- 
gether with  the  church  and  all  the  buildings  of  the  monas- 
tery; then,  with  vast  herds  of  cattle  and  other  plunder, 
they  moved  away  from  Croyland,  and  attacked  the 
monastery  of  Medeshamsted.  Here  the  monks  made  a 
brave  resistance.  The  Danes  brought  up  machines  and 
attacked  the  monastery  on  all  sides,  and  eflfected  a 
breach  in  the  walls.  Their  first  assault,  however,  was 
repelled,  and  Fulba,  the  brother  of  Earl  Hulba,  was 
desperately  wounded  by  a  stone. 

•  Hulba  was  so  infuriated  at  this  that  when,  at  the  second 
assault,  the  monastery  was  captured,  he  slew  with  his  own 
hand   every  one  of  the  monks,  while  all  the  country 


THE  MASSACRE   AT   CROYLAND.  37 

people  who  had  taken  refuge  within  the  walls  were 
slaughtered  by  his  companions,  not  one  escaping.  The 
altars  were  leveled  to  the  ground,  the  monuments  broken 
in  pieces.  The  great  library  of  parchments  and  chart- 
ers was  burned.  The  holy  relics  were  trodden  under 
foot,  and  the  church  itself,  with  all  the  monastic  build- 
ings, burned  to  the  ground.  Four  days  later,  the  Danes, 
having  devastated  the  whole  country  round  and  collected 
an  enormous  booty,  marched  away  against  Huntingdon. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  remained  but  a  few  hours  with  the 
monks  who  had  escaped  from  the  sack  of  Croyland;  for, 
as  soon  as  they  saw  the  flames  mounting  up  above  the 
church,  they  knew  that  the  Danes  had  accomplished  their 
usual  work  of  massacre,  and  there  being  no  use  in  their 
making  further  stay,  they  started  upon  their  journey. 
They  traveled  by  easy  stages,  for  time  was  of  no  value 
to  them.  For  the  most  part  their  way  lay  among  forests, 
and  when  once  they  had  passed  south  of  Thetford  they 
had  no  fear  of  meeting  with  the  Danes.  Sometimes  they 
slept  at  farmhouses  or  villages,  being  everywhere  hos- 
pitably received,  the  more  so  when  it  was  known  that 
Edmund  was  the  son  of  the  brave  ealdorman  Eldred; 
but  the  news  which  they  brought  of  the  disastrous  battle 
of  Kesteven,  and  the  southward  march  of  the  great 
Danish  army,  filled  everyone  with  consternation. 

The  maids  and  matrons  wept  with  terror  at  the  thought 
of  the  coming  of  these  terrible  heathen,  and  although  the 
men  everywhere  spoke  of  resistance  to  the  last,  the 
prospect  seemed  so  hopeless  that  even  the  bravest  were 
filled  with  grief  and  despair.  Many  spoke  of  leaving 
their  homes  and  retiring  with  their  wives  and  families, 
their  serfs  and  herds,  to  the  country  of  the  West  Saxons, 


38  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

where  alone  there  appeared  any  hope  of  a  successful 
resistance  being  made.  Wherever  they  went  Edmund 
and  Egbert  brought  by  their  news  lamentation  and  woe 
to  the  households  they  entered,  and  at  last  Edmund  said : 

"  Egbert,  let  us  enter  no  more  houses  until  we  reach 
the  end  of  our  journey;  wherever  we  go  we  are  messen- 
gers of  evil,  and  turn  houses  of  feasting  into  abodes  of 
grief.  Every  night  we  have  the  same  sad  story  to  tell, 
and  have  to  witness  the  weeping  and  wailing  of  women. 
A  thousand  times  better  were  it  to  sleep  among  the 
woods,  at  any  rate  until  we  are  among  the  West  Saxons, 
where  our  news  may  cause -indignation  and  rage  at  least, 
but  where  it  will  arouse  a  brave  resolve  to  resist  to  the 
last  instead  of  the  hopfelessness  of  despair." 

Egbert  thoroughly  agreed  with  the  lad,  and  hence- 
forth they  entered  no  houses  save  to  buy  bread  and  mead. 
Of  meat  they  had  plenty,  for  as  they  passed  through  the 
forests  Wolf  was  always  upon  the  alert,  and  several  times 
found  a  wild  boar  in  his  lair  and  kept  him  at  bay  until 
Edmund  and  Egbert  ran  up  and  with  spears  and  swords 
slew  him.  This  supplied  them  amply  with  meat,  and 
gave  them  indeed  far  more  than  they  could  eat,  but  they 
exchanged  portions  of  the  flesh  for  bread  in  the  villages. 
At  last  they  came  down  upon  the  Thames  near  London, 
and  crossing  the  river  journeyed  west.  They  were  now 
in  the  kingdom  of  the  West  Saxons,  the  most  warlike 
and  valiant  of  the  peoples  of  England,  and  who  had 
gradually  extended  their  sway  over  the  whole  of  the 
country.  The  union  was  indeed  but  little  more  than 
nominal,  as  the  other  kings  retained  their  thrones,  pay- 
ing only  a  tribute  to  the  West  Saxon  monarchs. 


THE   MASSACRE    AT   CROYLAND.  39 

As  Egbert  had  predicted,  their  tale  of  the  battle  of 
Kesteven  here  aroused  no  feeling  save  that  of  wrath  and 
a  desire  for  vengeance  upon  the  Danes.  Swords  were 
grasped,  and  all  swore  by  the  saints  of  what  should  hap- 
pen to  the  invaders  should  they  set  foot  in  Wessex.  The 
travelers  felt  their  spirits  rise  at  the  martial  and  deter- 
mined aspect  of  the  people. 

"It  is  a  sad  pity,"  Egbert  said  to  Edmund  one  day, 
"  that  these  West  Saxons  had  not  had  time  to  unite  Eng- 
land firmly  together  before  the  Danes  set  foot  on  the 
island.  It  is  our  divisions  which  have  rendered  their 
task  so  far  easy.  Northumbria,  Mercia,  and  East  Anglia 
have  one  by  one  been  invaded,  and  their  kings  have  had 
to  fight  single-handed  against  them,  whereas,  had  one 
strong  king  reigned  over  the  whole  country,  so  that  all 
our  force  could  have  been  exerted  against  the  invader 
wherever  he  might  land,  the  Danes  would  never  have 
won  a  foot  of  our  soil.  The  sad  day  of  Kesteven  showed 
at  least  that  we  are  able  to  fight  the  Danes  man  for  man. 
The  first  day  we  beat  them,  though  they  were  in  superior 
numbers,  the  second  we  withstood  them  all  day,  although 
they  were  ten  to  one  against  us,  and  they  would  never 
have  triumphed,  even  then,  had  our  men  listened  to  their 
leaders  and  kept  their  ranks.  I  do  not  believe  that  even 
the  West  Saxons  could  have  fought  more  bravely  than 
did  our  men  on  that  day;  but  they  are  better  organized, 
their  king  is  energetic  and  determined,  and  when  the 
Danes  invade  Wessex  they  will  find  themselves  opposed 
by  the  whole  people  instead  of  merely  a  hastily  raised 
assemblage  gathered  in  the  neighborhood." 

They  presently  approached  Reading,  where  there  was 


4©  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

a  royal  fortress,  in  which  King  Ethelred  and  his  brother 
Alfred  were  residing. 

"  It  is  truly  a  fine  city,"  Edmund  said  as  he  approached 
it ;  "  its  walls  are  strong  and  high,  and  the  royal  palace, 
which  rises  above  them,  is  indeed  a  stately  building." 

They  crossed  the  river  and  entered  the  gates  of  the 
town.  There  were  great  bustle  and  traffic  in  the  streets, 
cynings,  or  nobles,  passed  along  accompanied  by  par- 
ties of  thanes,  serfs  laden  with  fuel  or  provisions  made 
their  way  in  from  the  surrounding  country,  while  free- 
men, with  their  shields  flung  across  their  shoulders  and 
their  swords  by  their  sides,  stalked  with  an  independent 
air  down  the  streets. 

The  travelers  approached  the  royal  residence.  The 
gates  were  open,  and  none  hindered  their  entrance,  for  all 
who  had  business  were  free  to  enter  the  royal  presence 
and  to  lay  their  complaints  or  petitions  before  the  king. 

Entering,  they  found  themselves  in  a  large  hall.  The 
lower  end  of  this  was  occupied  by  many  people,  who 
conversed  together  in  little  groups  or  awaited  the  sum- 
mons of  the  king.  Across  the  upper  end  of  the  room 
was  a  raised  dais,  and  in  the  center  of  this  was  a  wide 
chair,  capable  of  holding  three  persons.  The  back  and 
sides  were  high  and  richly  carved.  A  table  supported  by 
four  carved  and  gilded  legs  stood  before  It.  Two  per- 
sons were  seated  in  the  chair. 

One  was  a  man  of  three  or  four  and  twenty,  the  other 
was  his  junior  by  some  two  years.  Both  wore  light 
crowns  of  gold,  somewhat  different  in  their  fashion.  Be- 
fore the  younger  were  a  parchment,  an  inkhorn,  and  pens. 
King  Ethelred  was  a  man  of  a  pleasant  face,  but  marked 
by  care  and  by  long  vigils  and  rigorous  fastings.    Alfred 


DAR.   TUKOAR  CONFRONTING  THB  DANES  IN  CROYLAND  CHURCH.— Page  4«». 


42  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

by  witnesses.  Ethelred  and  Alfred  listened  attentively 
to  all  that  was  said  on  both  sides,  and  then  gave  their 
judgment.  An  hour  passed,  and  then,  seeing  that  no  one 
else  approached  the  table,  Egbert,  taking  Edmund  by 
the  hand,  led  him  forward  and  knelt  before  the  royal 
table. 

"  Whom  have  we  here?  "  the  king  said.  "  This  youth 
is  by  his  attire  one  of  noble  race,  but  I  know  not  his  face." 

"  We  have  come,  sir  king,"  Egbert  said,  "  as  fugitives 
and  suppliants  to  you.  This  is  Edmund,  the  son  of 
Ealdorman  Eldred,  a  valiant  cyning  of  East  Anglia,  who, 
after  fighting  bravely  against  the  Danes  near  Thetford, 
joined  Earl  Algar,  and  died  by  his  side  on  the  fatal  field 
of  Kesteven.  He  had  himself  purposed  to  come  hither 
to  you  and  ask  you  to  accept  him  as  your  thane,  and  on 
the  morn  of  the  battle  he  charged  me,  if  he  fell,  to  bring 
hither  his  son  to  you;  and  we  pray  you  to  accept,  in 
token  of  our  homage  to  you,  these  vessels." 

And  here  he  placed  two  handsome  goblets  of  silver 
gilt  upon  the  table. 

"  I  pray  you  rise,"  the  king  said.  "  I  have  assuredly, 
heard  of  the  brave  Eldred,  and  will  gladly  receive  his 
son  as  my  thane.  I  had  not  heard  of  Eldred's  death, 
though  two  days  since  the  rumor  of  a  heavy  defeat  of  the 
East  Angles  at  Kesteven,  and  the  sacrilegious  destruc- 
tion of  the  holy  houses  of  Bardenay,  Croyland,  and 
Medeshamsted  reached  our  ears.  Were  you  present  at 
the  battle?  " 

"  I  was,  sir  king,"  Egbert  said,  "  and  fought  beside 
Earl  Algar  and  my  kinsman  the  Ealdorman  Eldred 
until  both  were  slain  by  the  Danes,  and  I  with  difficulty 
cut  my  way  through  them  and  escaped  to  carry  out  my 
kinsman's  orders  regarding  his  son." 


THE   MASSACRE   AT    CROYLAND.  43 

"  You  are  a  stout  champion  yourself,"  the  king  said, 
regarding  with  admiration  Egbert's  huge  proportions; 
"  but  tell  us  the  story  of  this  battle,  of  which  at  present 
but  vague  rumors  have  reached  us."  Egbert  related  the 
incidents  of  the  battle  of  Kesteven.  "  It  was  bravely 
fought,"  the  king  said  when  he  had  concluded;  "right 
well  and  bravely,  and  better  fortune  should  have  attended 
such  valor.  Truly  the  brave  Algar  has  shown  that  we 
Saxons  have  not  lost  the  bravery  which  distinguished 
our  ancestors,  and  that,  man  for  man,  we  are  equal  to 
these  heathen  Danes." 

"  But  methinks,"  Prince  Alfred  said,  "  that  the  brave 
Algar  and  his  valiant  companions  did  wrong  to  throw 
away  their  lives  when  all  was  lost.  So  long  as  there  is 
the  remotest  chance  of  victory  it  is  the  duty  of  a  leader  to 
set  an  example  of  valor  to  his  followers,  but  when  all  is 
lost  he  should  think  of  his  country.  What  though  the 
brave  thanes  slew  each  a  score  of  Danes  before  they  died ; 
their  death  has  left  their  countrymen  without  a  leader, 
and  by  that  one  battle  the  Danes  have  made  themselves 
masters  of  the  north  of  East  Anglia.  Better  far  had  they, 
when  the  day  was  lost,  retreated,  to  gather  the  people 
together  when  a  better  opportunity  presented  itself,  and 
again  to  make  head  against  the  invaders.  It  is  heathen 
rather  than  Christian  warfare  thus  to  throw  away  their 
lives  rather  than  to  retreat  and  wait  for  God's  time  to 
come  again.  To  stake  all  on  one  throw,  which  if  lost 
loses  a  whole  people,  seems  to  me  the  act  of  a  gamester. 
I  trust  that,  should  the  time  ever  come,  as  it  is  too  much 
to  be  feared  it  will  ere  long,  that  the  Danes  invade  my 
brother's  kingdom  of  Wessex,  I  shall  not  be  found  want- 
ing in  courage;  but  assuredly,  when  defeated  in  battle, 


44  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

I  would  not  throw  away  my  life,  for  that  belongs  to  our 
people  rather  than  to  myself,  but  would  retire  to  some 
refuge  until  I  could  again  gather  the  Saxons  around  me 
and  attack  the  invaders.  I  like  the  face  of  the  young 
ealdorman,  and  doubt  not  that  he  will  prove  a  valiant 
warrior  like  his  father.  My  brother  will  doubtless  assign 
him  lands  for  his  maintenance  and  yours;  but  if  he  will 
let  me  I  will  attach  him  to  my  person,  and  will  be  at 
once  a  master  and  a  friend  to  him,  Wouldst  thou  like 
this,  young  Edmund?  " 

The  lad,  greatly  pleased  at  the  young  prince's  kindness 
of  speech  and  manner,  replied  enthusiastically  that  he 
would  follow  him  to  the  death  if  he  would  accept  him  as 
his  faithful  thane. 

"  Had  the  times  been  more  peaceful,  Edmund,"  Alfred 
said,  "  I  would  fain  have  imparted  to  you  some  of  the 
little  knowledge  that  I  have  gained,  for  I  see  an  intelli- 
gence in  your  face  which  tells  me  that  you  would  have 
proved  an  apt  and  eager  pupil ;  but,  alas !  in  the  days  that 
are  coming  it  is  the  sword  rather  than  the  book  which 
will  prevail,  and  the  cares  of  state,  and  the  defense  of  the 
country,  will  shortly  engross  all  my  time  and  leave  me 
but  little  leisure  for  the  studies  I  love  so  well." 

"  There  are  the  lands,"  the  king  said,  "  of  Eabald, 
Ealdorman  of  Sherborne,  in  Dorset.  He  died  but  last 
week  and  has  left  no  children.  These  lands  I  will  grant 
to  Edmund  in  return  for  liege  and  true  service."  The 
lad  knelt  before  the  king,  and  kissing  his  hand,  swore  to 
be  his  true  and  faithful  thane,  and  to  spend  land,  goods, 
and  life  in  his  service. 

"  And  now,"  the  king  said,  "  since  the  audience  is 
over,  and  none  other  comes  before  us  with  petitions,  we 


THE   MASSACRE   AT   CROYLAND.  45 

will  retire  to  our  private  apartments,  and  there  my 
brother  Alfred  will  present  you  to  the  fair  Elswitha,  his 
wife." 

The  room  into  which  Egbert  and  Edmund  followed 
the  king  and  his  brother  was  spacious  and  lofty.  The 
walls  were  covered  with  hangings  of  red  cloth,  and  a 
thick  brown  baize  covered  the  floor.  The  ceiling  was 
painted  a  dark  brown  with  much  gilding.  Round  the 
sides  of  the  room  stood  several  dressers  of  carved  oak, 
upon  which  stood  gold  and  silver  cups. 

On  a  table  were  several  illuminated  vellums.  At 
Croyland  Edmund  had  seen  a  civilization  far  in  advance 
of  that  to  which  he  had  been  accustomed  in  his  father's 
abode;  but  he  saw  here  a  degree  of  luxury  and  splendor 
which  surprised  him.  Alfred  had,  during  his  two  visits 
to  Rome,  learned  to  appreciate  the  high  degree  of  civili- 
zation which  reigned  there,  and  many  of  the  articles  of 
furniture  and  other  objects  which  met  Edmund's  eye  he 
had  brought  with  him  on  his  return  with  his  father  from 
that  city. 

Across  the  upper  end  of  the  room  was  a  long  table 
laid  with  a  white  cloth.  Elswitha  was  sitting  in  a  large 
gilded  chair  by  the  great  fire  which  was  blazing  on  the 
hearth. 

Prince  Alfred  presented  Edmund  and  Egbert  to  her. 
Elswitha  was  well  acquainted  with  the  Ealdorman 
Eldred,  as  his  lands  lay  on  the  very  border  of  her  native 
Mercia,  and  she  received  the  lad  and  his  kinsman  with 
great  kindness.  In  a  short  time  they  took  their  places  at 
table.  First  the  attendants  brought  in  bowls  containing 
broth,  which  they  presented,  kneeling,  to  each  of  those  at 
table.     The  broth  was  drunk  from  the  bowl  itself;  then 


46  THS  DRAGON  AND  THK  RAVKN. 

a  silver  goblet  was  placed  by  each  diner,  and  was  filled 
with  wine.  Fish  was  next  served.  Plates  were  placed 
before  each;  but  instead  of  their  cutting  their  food  with 
their  own  daggers,  as  Edmund  had  been  accustomed  to 
see  in  his  father's  house,  knives  were  handed  round. 
After  the  fish  came  venison,  followed  by  wild  boar, 
chickens,  and  other  meats.  After  these  confections, 
composed  chiefly  of  honey,  were  placed  on  the  table. 
The  king  and  Prince  Alfred  pledged  their  guests  when 
they  drank.  No  forks  were  used,  the  meat,  as  cut,  being 
taken  up  by  pieces  of  bread  to  the  mouth.  During  the 
meal  a  harper  played  and  sung. 

Edmund  observed  the  decorum  with  which  his  royal 
hosts  fed,  and  the  care  which  they  took  to  avoid  dipping 
their  fingers  into  their  saucers  or  their  plates.  He  was 
also  struck  with  the  small  amount  of  wine  which  they 
took;  for  the  Saxons  in  general  were  large  feeders,  and 
drank  heavily  at  their  meals. 

When  the  dinner  was  over  a  page  brought  round  a 
basin  of  warm  water,  in  which  lavender  had  been  crushed, 
and  each  dipped  his  fingers  in  this  and  then  dried  them 
on  the  cloth.  Then  at  Prince  Alfred's  request  Egbert 
again  related  in  full  the  details  of  the  two  days'  desperate 
struggle  at  Kesteven,  giving  the  most  minute  particulars 
of  the  Danes'  method  of  fighting.  Egbert  and  Edmund 
then  retired  to  the  royal  guest-house  adjoining  the 
palace,  where  apartments  were  assigned  to  them. 

After  remaining  for  a  week  at  Reading  they  took  leave 
of  the  king  and  started  for  the  lands  which  he  had 
assigned  to  Edmund.  They  were  accompanied  by  an 
officer  of  the  royal  household,  who  was  to  inform  the 
freemen  and  serfs  of  the  estate  that  by  the  king's  pleasure 


TH£  MASSACRE   AT    CROYLAND.  47 

Edmund  had  been  appointed  ealdorman  of  the  lands. 
They  found  on  arrival  that  the  house  had  been  newly 
built,  and  was  large  and  comfortable.  The  thanes  of  the 
district  speedily  came  in  to  pay  their  respects  to  their  new 
ealdorman,  and  although  surprised  to  find  him  so  young, 
they  were  pleased  with  his  bearing  and  manner,  and 
knowing  that  he  came  of  good  fighting  blood  doubted  not 
that  in  time  he  would  make  a  valiant  leader.  All  who 
came  were  hospitably  entertained,  and  for  many  days 
there  was  high  feasting.  So  far  removed  was  this  part 
of  England  from  the  district  which  the  Danes  had  in- 
vaded that  at  present  but  slight  alarm  had  been  caused, 
by  them;  but  Edmund  and  his  kinsman  lost  no  time  in 
impressing  upon  them  the  greatness  of  the  coming 
danger. 

"  You  may  be  sure,"  he  said,  "  that  ere  long  we  shall 
see  their  galleys  on  the  coast.  When  they  have  eaten 
up  Mercia  and  Anglia  they  will  assuredly  come  hither, 
and  we  shall  have  to  fight  for  our  lives,  and  unless  we  are 
prepared  it  will  go  hard  with  us." 

After  he  had  been  at  his  new  residence  for  a  month 
Edmund  sent  out  messengers  to  all  the  thanes  in  his  dis- 
trict, requesting  them  to  assemble  at  a  council,  and  then 
formally  laid  the  matter  before  them. 

"  It  is  above  all  things,"  he  said,  "  necessary  that  we 
should  have  some  place  where  we  can  place  the  women 
and  children  in  case  of  invasion,  and  where  we  can  our- 
selves retire  in  extreme  necessity.  Therefore  I  propose 
that  we  shall  build  a  fort  of  sufficient  size  to  contain  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  district,  with  many  flocks  and 
herds.  My  cousin  Egbert  has  ridden  far  over  the  coun- 
try, and  recommends  that  the  Roman  fortification  at 


48  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Moorcaster  shall  be  utilized.  It  is  large  in  extent,  and 
has  a  double  circle  of  earthen  banks.  These  differ  from 
those  which  we  are  wont  to  build,  since  we  Saxons 
always  fill  up  the  ground  so  as  to  be  flat  with  the  top  of 
the  earthen  banks,  while  the  Romans  left  theirs  hollow. 
However,  the  space  is  so  large  that  it  would  take  a  vast 
labor  to  fill  it  up,  therefore  I  propose  that  we  should 
merely  thicken  the  banks,  and  should,  in  Saxon  custom, 
build  a  wall  with  turrets  upon  them.  The  sloping  banks 
alone  would  be  but  a  small  protection  against  the  on- 
slaught of  the  Danes,  but  stone  walls  are  another  matter, 
and  could  only  be  carried  after  a  long  siege.  If  you  fall 
in  with  my  views  you  will  each  of  you  send  half  your 
serfs  to  carry  out  the  work,  and  I  will  do  the  same,  and 
will,  moreover,  pay  fifty  freemen  who  may  do  the  squar- 
ing of  the  stones  and  the  proper  laying  of  them." 

The  proposal  led  to  a  long  discussion,  as  some  thought 
that  there  was  no  occasion  as  yet  to  take  such  a  measure; 
but  the  thanes  finally  agreed  to  carry  out  Edmund's 
proposal. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    INVASION    OF    WESSEX. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  devoted  most  of  their  time  to 
the  building  of  the  new  fort,  living  very  simply,  and 
expended  the  whole  of  the  revenues  of  the  lands  on  the 
payment  of  the  freemen  and  masons  engaged  upon  the 
work.  The  Roman  fort  was  a  parallelogram,  the  sides 
being  about  two  hundred  yards  long,  and  the  ends  half 
that  length.  It  was  surrounded  by  two  earthen  banks 
with  wide  ditches.  These  were  deepened  considerably, 
and  the  slopes  were  cut  down  more  sharply.  The  inner 
bank  was  widened  until  it  was  fifteen  feet  across  the  top. 

On  this  the  wall  was  built.  It  was  faced  on  both  sides 
with  square  stones,  the  space  between  filled  up  with 
rubble  and  cement,  the  total  thickness  being  four  feet. 
The  height  of  the  wall  was  eight  feet,  and  at  intervals  of 
thirty  yards  apart  towers  were  raised  ten  feet  above  it, 
one  of  these  being  placed  at  either  side  of  the  entrance. 
Here  the  bank  was  cut  away,  and  solid  buttresses  of 
masonry  supported  the  high  gates.  The  opening  in  the 
outer  bank  was  not  opposite  to  the  gate  in  the  inner, 
being  fifty  yards  away,  so  that  any  who  entered  by  it 
would  have  for  that  distance  to  follow  the  ditch  between 
the  two  banks,  exposed  to  the  missiles  of  those  on  the 
wall  before  arriving  at  the  inner  gate. 

Five  hundred  men  labored  incessantly  at  the  work. 
The  stone  for  the  walls  was  fortunately  found  close  at 

49 


5©  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

hand,  but,  notwithstanding  this,  the  work  took  nearly  six 
months  to  execute ;  deep  wells  were  sunk  in  the  center  of 
the  fort,  and  by  this  means  an  ample  supply  of  water  was 
secured,  however  large  might  be  the  number  within  it. 

A  very  short  time  after  the  commencement  of  the 
work  the  news  arrived  that  King  Edmund  of  East 
Anglia  had  gathered  his  forces  together  and  had  met  the 
Danes  in  a  great  battle  near  Thetford  on  Sunday,  the 
20th  of  November,  and  had  been  totally  defeated  by 
them,  Edmund  himself  having  been  taken  prisoner.  The 
captive  king,  after  having  been  for  a  long  time  cruelly 
tortured  by  the  Danes,  was  shot  to  death  with  arrows. 
It  was  not  long  after  this  that  news  came  that  the  whole 
of  East  Anglia  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Danes. 

Early  in  the  month  of  February,  871,  just  as  the  walls 
of  his  fort  had  begun  to  rise,  a  messenger  arrived  from 
the  king  bidding  Edmund  assemble  all  the  men  in  his 
earlship  and  march  at  once  to  join  him  near  Devizes,  as 
the  news  had  come  that  a  great  Danish  fleet  had  sailed 
up  the  Thames  and  had  already  captured  the  royal  town 
of  Reading. 

Messengers  were  sent  out  in  all  directions,  and  early 
the  next  morning,  four  hundred  men  having  assembled, 
Edmund  and  his  kinsman  marched  away  with  them 
toward  Devizes,  Upon  their  arrival  at  that  town  they 
found  the  king  and  his  brother  with  eight  thousand  men, 
and  the  following  day  the  army  moved  east  toward 
Reading. 

They  had  not  marched  many  miles  before  a  messen- 
ger arrived  saying  that  two  of  the  Danish  jarls  with  a 
great  following  had  gone  out  to  plunder  the  country, 
that  they  had  been  encountered  by  Ethelwulf,  Earl  of 


THE    INVASION    OF   WESSEX.  51 

Berkshire,  with  his  men  at  Englefield,  and  a  fierce  battle 
had  taken  place.  The  Saxons  had  gained  the  victory, 
and  great  numbers  of  the  Danes  had  been  slain,  Sidroc, 
one  of  their  jarls,  being  among  the  fallen. 

Three  days  later  the  royal  army  arrived  in  sight  of 
Reading,  being  joined  on  their  march  by  Ethulwulf  and 
his  men.  The  Danes  had  thrown  up  a  great  rampart 
between  the  Thames  and  the  Kennet,  and  many  were  still 
at  work  on  this  fortification.  These  were  speedily  slain 
by  the  Saxons,  but  their  success  was  a  short  one.  The 
main  body  of  the  invaders  swarmed  out  from  the  city  and 
a  desperate  engagement  took  place. 

The  Saxons  fought  valiantly,  led  by  the  king  and 
Prince  Alfred;  but  being  wholly  undisciplined  and  unac- 
customed to  war  they  were  unable  to  withstand  the 
onslaught  of  the  Danes,  who  fought  in  better  order,  keep- 
ing together  in  ranks.  After  four  hours'  hard  fighting 
the  Saxons  were  compelled  to  fall  back. 

They  rallied  again  a  few  miles  from  Reading.  Ethel- 
red  and  Alfred  went  among  them  bidding  them  be  of 
good  cheer,  for  that  another  time,  when  they  fought  in 
better  order,  they  would  gain  the  victory;  and  that  their 
loss  had  not  been  greater  than  the  Danes,  only  that  un- 
happily the  valiant  Ealdorman  Ethelwulf  had  been  slain. 
Fresh  messengers  were  sent  throughout  the  country  bid- 
ding all  the  men  of  Wessex  to  rally  round  their  king,  and 
on  the  fourth  morning  after  the  defeat  Ethelred  found 
himself  at  the  head  of  larger  forces  than  had  fought  with 
him  in  the  last  battle. 

The  Danes  had  moved  out  from  Reading  and  had 
taken  post  at  Ashdown,  and  as  the  Saxon  army  ap- 
proached they  were  seen  to  be  divided  into  two  bodies, 


52  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

one  of  which  was  commanded  by  their  two  kings  and  the 
other  by  two  jarls.  The  Saxons  therefore  made  a  simi- 
lar division  of  their  army,  the  king  commanding  one 
division  and  Prince  Alfred  the  other. 

Edmund,  with  the  men  of  Sherborne,  was  in  the  divi- 
sion of  Alfred.  The  Danes  advanced  to  the  attack  and 
fell  with  fury  upon  them.  It  had  been  arranged  that 
this  division  should  not  advance  to  the  attack  until  that 
commanded  by  the  king  was  also  put  in  motion.  For 
some  time  Alfred  and  his  men  supported  the  assaults  of 
the  Danes,  and  then,  being  hardly  pressed,  the  prince 
sent  a  messenger  to  his  brother  to  urge  that  a  move- 
ment should  be  made.  The  Saxons  were  impatient  at 
standing  on  the  defensive,  and  Alfred  saw  that  he  must 
either  allow  them  to  charge  the  enemy  or  must  retreat. 

Presently  the  messenger  returned,  saying  that  the  king 
was  in  his  tent  hearing  Mass,  and  that  he  had  given 
orders  that  no  man  should  move  or  any  should  disturb 
him  until  Mass  was  concluded.  Alfred  hesitated  no 
longer;  he  formed  his  men  into  a  solid  body,  and  then, 
raising  his  battle  cry,  rushed  upon  the  Danes.  The 
battle  was  a  furious  one.  The  Danes  were  upon  higher 
ground,  their  standard  being  planted  by  the  side  of  a 
single  thorn  tree  which  grew  on  the  slopes  of  the  hill. 
Toward  this  Alfred  with  his  men  fought  their  way. 

The  lesson  of  the  previous  battle  had  not  been  lost; 
the  Saxons  kept  together  in  a  solid  body,  which  made 
its  way  with  irresistible  weight  through  the  ranks  of  the 
Danes.  Still  the  latter  closed  in  on  all  sides,  and  the 
fight  was  doubtful  until  the  king,  having  finished  his 
devotions,  led  his  division  into  the  battle.  For  a  long 
time  a  desperate  strife  continued  and  great  numbers  on 


THE  INVASION   OF    WESSEX.  '  53 

both  sides  were  killed;  but  the  Saxons,  animated  at 
once  by  love  of  their  country  and  hatred  of  the  invaders, 
and  by  humiliation  at  their  previous  defeat,  fought  with 
such  fury  that  the  Danes  began  to  give  way.  Then  the 
Saxons  pressed  them  still  more  hotly,  and  the  invaders 
presently  lost  heart  and  fled  in  confusion,  pursued  in  all 
directions  by  the  exulting  Saxons. 

The  Danish  King  Bergsecg  and  five  jarls,  the  two 
Sidrocs,  Osbearn,  Frene,  and  Hareld,  were  slain,  and 
many  thousands  of  their  followers.  Great  spoil  of  arms 
and  armor  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors. 

Edmund  had  fought  bravely  in  the  battle  at  the  head 
of  his  men.  Egbert  had  kept  beside  him,  and  twice, 
when  the  lad  had  been  smitten  to  his  knees  by  the  enemy, 
covered  him  with  his  shield  and  beat  off  the  foe. 

"  You  are  over  young  for  such  a  fight  as  this,  Ed- 
mund," he  said  when  the  Danes  had  taken  to  flight. 
"  You  will  need  another  four  or  five  years  over  your  head 
before  you  can  stand  in  battle  against  these  fierce  North- 
men. They  break  down  your  guard  by  sheer  weight; 
but  you  bore  yourself  gallantly,  and  I  doubt  not  will  yet 
be  as  famous  a  warrior  as  was  your  brave  father." 

Edmund  did  not  join  in  the  pursuit,  being  too  much 
bruised  and  exhausted  to  do  so;  but  Egbert  with  the 
men  of  Sherborne  followed  the  flying  Danes  until  night- 
fall. 

"  You  have  done  well,  my  young  ealdorman,"  Prince 
Alfred  said  to  the  lad  after  the  battle.  "  I  have  been 
wishing  much  that  you  could  be  with  me  during  the  past 
month,  but  I  heard  that  you  were  building  a  strong  fort 
and  deemed  it  better  to  let  you  continue  your  work  un- 
disturbed.   When  it  is  finished  I  trust  that  I  shall  have 


54  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

you  often  near  me;  but  I  fear  that  for  a  time  we  shall 
have  but  little  space  for  peaceful  pursuits,  for  the  Danes 
are  coming,  as  I  hear,  in  great  troops  westward,  and  we 
shall  have  many  battles  to  fight  ere  we  clear  the  land  of 
them." 

In  those  days  a  defeat,  however  severe,  had  not  the 
same  decisive  effect  as  it  has  in  modern  warfare.  There 
were  no  cannon  to  lose,  no  great  stores  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  victors.  The  army  was  simply  dispersed, 
and  its  component  parts  reassembled  in  the  course  of  a 
day  or  two,  ready,  when  re-enforcements  arrived,  to 
renew  the  fight.  Thus,  decisive  as  was  the  victory  of 
Ashdown,  Prince  Alfred  saw  that  many  such  victories 
must  be  won,  and  a  prolonged  and  exhausting  struggle 
carried  on  before  the  tide  of  invasion  would  be  finally 
hurled  back  from  Wessex.  The  next  few  days  were 
spent  in  making  a  fair  distribution  of  the  spoil  and  arms 
among  the  conquerors.  Some  of  the  thanes  then  re- 
turned home  with  their  people;  but  the  remainder,  on 
the  king's  entreaty,  agreed  to  march  with  him  against 
the  Danes,  who  after  the  battle  had  fallen  back  to  Basing, 
where  they  had  been  joined  by  others  coming  from  the 
coast.  The  royal  army  advanced  against  them,  and 
fourteen  days  after  the  battle  of  Ashdown  the  struggle 
was  renewed.  The  fight  lasted  for  many  hours,  but 
toward  nightfall  the  Saxons  were  compelled  to  retreat, 
moving  off  the  field,  however,  in  good  order,  so  that  no 
spoil  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Danes. 

This  check  was  a  great  disappointment  to  the  Saxons, 
who  after  their  late  victcwy  had  hoped  that  they  should 
speedily  clear  the  kingdom  of  the  Danes.  These,  indeed, 
taught  prudence  by  the  maimer  in  which  the  West 


THE   INVASION   OF   WESSEX.  55 

Saxons  had  fought,  for  a  while  refrained  from  plundering 
excursions.  Two  months  later  the  Saxons  were  again 
called  to  arms.  Somerled,  a  Danish  chieftain,  had  again 
advanced  to  Reading,  and  had  captured  and  burned  the 
town.  The  king  marched  against  him,  and  the  two 
armies  met  at  Merton.  Here  another  desperate  battle 
took  place. 

During  the  first  part  of  the  day  the  Saxons  were  vic- 
torious over  both  the  divisions  of  the  Danish  army,  but 
in  the  afternoon  the  latter  received  some  re-enforcements 
and  renewed  the  fight.  The  Saxons,  believing  that  the 
victory  had  been  won,  had  fallen  into  disorder  and  were 
finally  driven  from  the  field.  Great  numbers  were  slain 
on  both  sides.  Bishop  Edmund  and  many  Saxon  nobles 
were  killed,  and  King  Ethelred  so  severely  wounded  that 
he  expired  a  few  days  later,  April  23,  871,  having  reigned 
for  five  years.  He  was  buried  at  Wimbourne  Minster, 
and  Prince  Alfred  ascended  the  throne. 

Ethelred  was  much  regretted  by  his  people,  but  the 
accession  of  Alfred  increased  their  hopes  of  battling  suc- 
cessfully against  the  Danes.  Although  wise  and  brave. 
King  Ethelred  had  been  scarcely  the  monarch  for  a  war- 
like people  in  troubled  times.  Religious  exercises  occu- 
pied too  large  a  share  of  his  thoughts.  His  rule  was 
kindly  rather  than  strong,  and  his  authority  was  but  weak 
over  his  nobles.  From  Prince  Alfred  the  Saxons  hoped 
better  things.  From  his  boyhood  he  had  been  regarded 
with  special  interest  and  aflFection  by  the  people,  as  his 
father  had  led  them  to  regard  him  as  their  future  king. 

The  fact  that  he  had  been  personally  consecrated  by 
the  Pope  appeared  to  invest  him  with  a  special  authority. 
His  immense  superiority  in  learning  over  all  his  people 


56  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

greatly  impressed  them.  Though  gentle,  he  was  firm 
and  resolute,  prompt  in  action,  daring  in  the  field.  Thus, 
then,  although  the  people  regretted  King  Ethelred,  there 
was  a  general  feeling  of  hope  and  joy  when  Alfred  took 
his  place  on  the  throne.  He  had  succeeded  to  the  crown 
but  a  month  when  the  Danes  again  advanced  in  great 
numbers.  The  want  of  success  which  had  attended  them 
in  the  last  two  battles  had  damped  the  spirit  of  the  people, 
and  it  was  with  a  very  small  force  only  that  Alfred  was 
able  to  advance  against  them. 

The  armies  met  near  Wilton,  where  the  Danes  in 
vastly  superior  numbers  were  posted  on  a  hill.  King 
Alfred  led  his  forces  forward  and  fell  upon  the  Danes, 
and  so  bravely  did  the  Saxons  fight  that  for  some  time 
the  day  went  favorably  for  them.  Gradually  the  Danes 
were  driven  from  their  post  of  vantage,  and  after  some 
hours'  fighting  turned  to  fly ;  but,  as  at  Merton  and  Kes- 
teven,  the  impetuosity  of  the  Saxons  proved  their  ruin. 
Breaking  their  compact  ranks  they  scattered  in  pursuit 
of  the  Danes,  and  these,  seeing  how  small  was  the  num- 
ber of  their  pursuers,  rallied  and  turned  upon  them,  and 
the  Saxons  were  driven  from  the  field  which  they  had  so 
bravely  won. 

"  Unless  my  brave  Saxons  learn  order  and  discipline," 
the  king  said  to  Edmund  and  some  of  his  nobles  who 
gathered  round  him  on  the  evening  after  the  defeat, 
"  our  cause  is  assuredly  lost.  We  have  proved  now  in 
each  battle  that  we  are  superior,  man  to  man,  to  the 
Danes,  but  we  throw  away  the  fruits  of  victory  by  our 
impetuosity.  The  great  Caesar,  who  wrote  an  account 
of  his  battles  which  I  have  read  in  Latin,  described  the 
order   and   discipline   with   which   the   Roman   troops 


THE   INVASION   OF    WESSEX.  57 

fought  They  were  always  in  heavy  masses,  and  even 
after  a  battle  the  heavy-armed  soldiers  kept  their  ranks 
and  did  not  scatter  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  leaving  this 
task  to  the  more  lightly  armed  troops. 

"  Would  that  we  had  three  or  four  years  before  us  to 
teach  our  men  discipline  and  order,  but,  alas!  there  is 
no  time  for  this.  The  Danes  have  fallen  in  great  num- 
bers in  every  fight,  but  they  are  ever  receiving  re-enforce- 
ments and  come  on  in  fresh  waves  of  invasion ;  while  the 
Saxons,  finding  that  all  their  efforts  and  valor  seem  to 
avail  nothing,  are  beginning  fast  to  lose  heart.  See  how 
small  a  number  assembled  round  my  standard  yesterday, 
and  yet  the  war  is  but  beginning.  Truly,  the  lookout  is 
bad  for  England." 

The  king  made  strenuous  efforts  again  to  raise  an 
army,  but  the  people  did  not  respond  to  his  call.  In 
addition  to  the  battles  which  have  been  spoken  of,  sev- 
eral others  had  been  fought  in  different  parts  of  Wessex 
by  the  ealdormen  and  their  followers  against  bodies  of 
invading  Danes.  In  the  space  of  one  year  the  Saxons 
had  engaged  in  eight  pitched  battles  and  in  many 
skirmishes.  Great  numbers  had  been  slain  on  both  sides, 
but  the  Danes  ever  received  fresh  accessions  of  strength, 
and  seemed  to  grow  stronger  and  more  numerous  after 
every  battle,  while  the  Saxons  were  dwindling  rapidly. 
Wide  tracts  of  country  had  been  devastated,  the  men 
slaughtered,  and  the  women  and  children  taken  captives, 
and  the  people,  utterly  dispirited  and  depressed,  no 
longer  listened  to  the  voices  of  their  leaders,  and  refused 
again  to  peril  their  lives  in  a  strife  which  seemed  hope- 
less. Alfred  therefore  called  his  ealdormen  together  and 
proposed  to  them  that,  since  the  people  would  no  longer 


58  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

fig-ht,  the  sole  means  that  remained  to  escape  destruction 
was  to  offer  to  buy  off  the  Danes. 

The  proposal  was  agreed  to,  for  although  none  of 
them  had  any  hope  that  the  Danes  would  long  keep  any 
treaty  they  might  make,  yet  even  a  little  respite  might 
give  heart  and  spirit  to  the  Saxons  again.  Accordingly 
negotiations  were  entered  into  with  the  Danes,  and  these, 
in  consideration  of  a  large  money  payment,  agreed  to 
retire  from  Wessex.  The  money  was  paid,  the  Danes 
retired  from  Reading,  which  they  had  used  as  their  head- 
quarters, and  marched  to  London.  King  Burhred,  the 
feeble  King  of  Mercia,  could  do  nothing  to  oppose  them, 
and  he  too  agreed  to  pay  them  a  large  annual  tribute. 

From  the  end  of  872  till  the  autumn  of  875  the  coun- 
try was  comparatively  quiet.  Alfred  ruled  it  wisely,  and 
tried  to  repair  the  terrible  damages  the  war  had  made. 
Edmund  looked  after  his  earldom,  and  grew  into  a 
powerful  young  man  of  nineteen  years  old. 

King  Alfred  had  not  deceived  himself  for  a  moment 
as  to  the  future.  "  The  Danes,"  he  said,  "  are  still  in 
England.  East  Anglia  and  Northumbria  swarm  with 
them.  Had  this  army,  after  being  bought  off  by  us  and 
my  brother  of  Mercia,  sailed  across  the  seas  and  landed 
in  France  there  would  have  been  some  hope  for  us,  but 
their  restless  nature  will  not  allow  them  to  stay  long  in 
the  parts  which  they  have  conquered. 

"  In  Anglia,  King  Guthrum  has  divided  the  land 
among  his  jarls,  and  there  they  seem  disposed  to  settle 
down;  but  elsewhere  they  care  not  for  the  land,  prefer- 
ring to  leave  it  in  the  hands  of  its  former  owners  to  till, 
and  after  to  wring  from  the  cultivators  the  fruits  of  the 
harvest;  then,  as  the  country  becomes  thoroughly  im- 


THE   INVASION    OF   WESSEX.  59 

poverished,  they  must  move  elsewhere.  Mercia  they 
can  overrun  whensoever  they  choose,  and  after  that  there 
is  nothing-  for  them  to  do  but  to  sweep  down  again  upon 
Wessex,  and  with  all  the  rest  of  England  at  their  feet  it 
is  hopeless  to  think  that  we  alone  can  withstand  their 
united  power." 

"  Then  what,  think  you,  must  be  the  end  of  this?  " 
Edmund  asked. 

"Tis  difficult  to  see  the  end,"  Alfred  replied.  "It 
would  seem  that  our  only  hope  of  release  from  them  is 
that,  when  they  have  utterly  eaten  up  and  ravaged  Eng- 
land, they  may  turn  their  thoughts  elsewhere.  Already 
they  are  harrying  the  northern  coasts  of  France,  but  there 
are  richer  prizes  on  the  Mediterranean  shores,  and  it 
may  be  that  when  England  is  no  longer  worth  plunder- 
ing they  may  sail  away  to  Spain  and  Italy.  We  have 
acted  foolishly  in  the  way  we  have  fought  them.  When 
they  first  began  to  arrive  upon  our  coasts  we  should  have 
labored  hard  to  build  great  fleets,  so  that  we  could  go 
forth  and  meet  them  on  the  seas. 

"  Some,  indeed,  might  have  escaped  our  watch  and 
landed,  but  the  fleets  could  have  cut  off  re-enforcements 
coming  to  them,  and  thus  those  who  reached  our  shores 
could  have  been  overwhelmed.  Even  now,  I  think  that 
something  might  be  done  that  way,  and  I  purpose  to 
build  a  fleet  which  may,  when  they  again  invade  us,  take 
its  station  near  the  mouth  of  the  Thames  and  fall  upon 
the  vessels  bringing  stores  and  re-enforcements.  This 
would  give  much  encouragement  to  the  people,  whose 
hopelessness  and  desperation  are  caused  principally  by 
the  fact  that  it  seems  to  be  of  no  use  killing  the  enemy, 
since  so  many  are  ready  constantly  to  take  their  places." 


6o  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  I  will  gladly  undertake  to  build  one  ship/'  Edmund 
said.  "  The  fort  is  now  finished,  and  with  the  revenues 
of  the  land  I  could  at  once  commence  a  ship;  and  if  the 
Danes  give  us  time,  when  she  is  finished  I  would  build 
another.  I  will  the  more  gladly  do  it,  since  it  seems  to 
me  that  if  the  Danes  entirely  overrun  our  country  we 
must  take  to  the  sea  and  so  in  turn  become  plunderers. 
With  this  view  I  will  have  the  ship  built  large  and  strong, 
so  that  she  may  keep  the  sea  in  all  weathers  and  be  my 
home  if  I  am  driven  out  of  England.  There  must  be 
plenty  of  ports  in  France,  and  many  a  quiet  nook  and 
inlet  round  England,  where  one  can  put  in  to  refit  when 
necessary,  and  we  could  pick  up  many  a  prize  of  Danish 
ships  returning  laden  with  booty.  With  such  a  ship  I 
could  carry  a  strong  crew,  and  with  my  trusty  Egbert 
and  the  best  of  my  fighting  men  we  should  be  able  to 
hold  our  own,  even  if  attacked  by  two  or  three  of  the 
Danish  galleys." 

"  The  idea  is  a  good  one,  Edmund,"  the  king  said, 
"  and  I  would  that  I  myself  could  carry  it  into  effect.  It 
were  a  thousand  times  better  to  live  a  free  life  on  the  sea, 
even  if  certain  at  last  to  be  overpowered  by  a  Danish 
fleet,  than  to  lurk  a  hunted  fugitive  in  the  woods;  but  I 
cannot  do  it.  So  long  as  I  live  I  must  remain  among 
my  people,  ready  to  snatch  any  chance  that  may  offer  of 
striking  a  blow  against  the  invader.  But  for  you  it  is 
diflFerent." 

"  I  should  not,  of  course,  do  it,"  Edmund  said, 
"until  all  is  lost  here,  and  mean  to  defend  my  fort  to 
an  extremity;  still,  should  it  be  that  the  Danes  conquer 
all  our  lands,  it  were  well  to  have  such  a  refuge." 

Edmund  talked  the  matter  over  with  Egbert,  who 


THE   INVASION    OF    WESSEX.  6l 

warmly  entered  into  the  plan.  "  So  long  as  I  have  life 
I  will  fight  against  the  Danes,  and  in  a  ship  at  least  we 
can  fight  manfully  till  the  end.  We  must  not  build  her 
on  the  seacoast,  or  before  the  time  when  we  need  her  she 
may  be  destroyed  by  the  Danes.  We  will  build  her 
on  the  Parrot.  The  water  is  deep  enough  far  up  from 
the  sea  to  float  her  when  empty,  and  if  we  choose  some 
spot  where  the  river  runs  among  woods  we  might  hide 
her,  so  that  she  may  to  the  last  escape  the  attention  of  the 
Danes. 

"  We  must  get  some  men  crafty  in  shipbuilding  from 
one  of  the  ports,  sending  down  a  body  of  our  own  serfs 
to  do  the  rough  work.  We  will  go  to  Exeter  first  and 
there  choose  us  the  craftsman  most  skilled  in  building 
ships,  and  will  take  counsel  with  him  as  to  the  best  form 
and  size.  She  must  be  good  to  sail  and  yet  able  to  row 
fast  with  a  strong  crew,  and  she  must  have  room  to  house 
a  goodly  number  of  rowing  and  fighting  men.  You, 
Edmund,  might,  before  we  start,  consult  King  Alfred. 
He  must  have  seen  at  Rome  and  other  ports  on  the 
Mediterranean  the  ships  in  use  there,  which  are  doubt- 
less far  in  advance  of  our  own,  for  we  know  from  the 
Holy  Bible  that  a  thousand  years  ago  St.  Paul  made 
long  voyages  in  ships,  and  doubtless  they  have  learned 
much  since  those  days." 

Edmund  thought  the  idea  a  good  one,  and  asked  the 
king  to  make  him  a  drawing  of  the  vessels  in  use  in  the 
Mediterranean":  This  King  Alfred  readily  did,  and 
Egbert  and  Edmund  then  journeyed  to  Exeter,  where, 
finding  out  the  man  most  noted  for  his  skill  in  building 
ships,  they  told  him  the  object  they  had  in  view,  and 
showed  him  the  drawings  the  king  had  made.     There 


62  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

were  two  of  them,  the  one  a  long  galley  rowed  with 
double  banks  of  oars,  the  other  a  heavy  trading  ship. 

"  This  would  be  useless  to  you,"  the  shipwright  said, 
laying  the  second  drawing  aside.  "  It  would  not  be 
fast  enough  either  to  overtake  or  to  fly.  The  other  galley 
would,  methinks,  suit  you  well.  I  have  seen  a  drawing 
of  such  a  ship  before.  It  is  a  war  galley,  such  as  is  used 
by  the  Genoese  in  their  fights  against  the  African  pirates. 
They  are  fast  and  roomy,  and  have  plenty  of  accommoda- 
tion for  the  crews.  One  of  them,  well  manned  and 
handled,  should  be  a  match  for  six  at  least  of  the  Danish 
galleys,  which  are  much  lower  in  the  water  and  smaller 
in  all  ways.  But  it  will  cost  a  good  deal  of  money  to 
build  such  a  ship." 

"  I  will  devote  all  the  revenues  of  my  land  to  it  until 
it  is  finished,"  Edmund  said.  "  I  will  place  a  hundred 
serfs  at  your  service,  and  will  leave  it  to  you  to  hire  as 
many  craftsmen  as  may  be  needed.  I  intend  to  build 
her  in  a  quiet  place  in  a  deep  wood  on  the  river  Parrot, 
so  that  she  may  escape  the  eyes  of  the  Danes." 

"  I  shall  require  seasoned  timber,"  the  shipwright 
urged. 

"  That  will  I  buy,"  Edmund  replied,  "  as  you  shall 
direct,  and  can  have  it  brought  up  the  river  to  the  spot.'* 

"  Being  so  large  and  heavy,"  the  shipwright  said,  "  she 
will  be  difficult  to  launch.  Methinks  it  were  best  to  dig 
a  hole  or  dock  at  some  little  distance  from  the  river; 
then,  when  she  is  finished,  a  way  can  be  cut  to  the  river 
wide  enough  for  her  to  pass  out.  When  the  water  is 
turned  in  it  will  float  her  up  level  to  the  surface,  and  as 
she  will  not  draw  more  than  two  feet  of  water  the  cut 
need  not  be  more  than  three  feet  deep." 


THE   INVASION    OF    WESSEX.  63 

**  That  will  be  the  best  plan  by  far,"  Edmund  agreed, 
"  for  you  can  make  the  hole  so  deep  that  you  can  build 
her  entirely  below  the  level  of  the  ground.  Then  we  can, 
if  needs  be,  fill  up  the  hole  altogether  with  bushes,  and 
cover  her  up,  so  that  she  would  not  be  seen  by  a  Danish 
galley  rowing  up  the  river,  or  even  by  any  of  the  enemy 
who  might  enter  the  wood,  unless  they  made  special 
search  for  her;  and  there  she  could  lie  until  I  chose  to 
embark." 

The  shipwright  at  once  set  to  work  to  draw  out  his 
plans,  and  a  week  later  sent  to  Edmund  a  messenger 
with  an  account  of  the  quantity  and  size  of  wood  he 
should  require.  This  was  purchased  at  once.  Edmund 
and  Egbert,  with  their  serfs,  journeyed  to  the  spot  they 
had  chosen,  and  were  met  there  by  the  shipwright,  who 
brought  with  him  twenty  craftsmen  from  Exeter.  The 
wood  was  brought  up  the  river,  and  while  the  craftsmen 
began  to  cut  it  up  into  fitting  sizes,  the  serfs  applied 
themselves  to  dig  the  deep  dock  in  which  the  vessel  was 
to  be  built. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A    DISCIPLINED    BAND. 

The  construction  of  the  ship  went  on  steadily.  King 
Alfred,  who  was  himself  building  several  war  vessels  of 
ordinary  size,  took  great  interest  in  Edmund's  craft  and 
paid  several  visits  to  it  while  it  was  in  progress. 

"  It  will  be  a  fine  ship,"  he  said  one  day  as  the  vessel 
was  approaching  completion,  "  and  much  larger  than  any 
in  these  seas.  It  reminds  me,  Edmund,  not  indeed  in  size 
or  shape,  but  in  its  purpose,  of  the  ark  which  Noah  built 
before  the  deluge  which  covered  the  whole  earth.  He 
built  it,  as  you  know,  to  escape  with  his  family  from 
destruction.  You,  too,  are  building  against  the  time 
when  the  deluge  of  Danish  invasion  will  sweep  over  this 
land,  and  I  trust  that  your  success  will  equal  that  of  the 
patriarch." 

"  I  shall  be  better  off  than  Noah  was,"  Edmund  said, 
"  for  he  had  nothing  to  do,  save  to  shut  up  his  windows 
and  wait  till  the  floods  abated,  while  I  shall  go  out  and 
seek  my  enemies  on  the  sea." 

The  respite  purchased  by  the  king  from  the  Danes  was 
but  a  short  one.  In  the  autumn  of  875  their  bands  were 
again  swarming  around  the  borders  of  Wessex,  and  con- 
stant irruptions  took  place.  Edmund  received  a  sum- 
mons to  gather  his  tenants,  but  he  found  that  these  no 
longer  replied  willingly  to  the  call.     Several  of  his  chief 

«4 


A   DISCIPLINED    BAND.  65 

men  met  him  and  represented  to  him  the  general  feeling 
which  prevailed. 

"  The  men  say,"  their  spokesman  explained,  "  that  it  is 
useless  to  fight  against  the  Danes.  In  872  there  were 
ten  pitched  battles,  and  vast  numbers  of  the  Danes  were 
slain,  and  vast  numbers  also  of  Saxons.  The  Danes 
are  already  far  more  numerous  than  before,  for  fresh 
hordes  continue  to  arrive  on  the  shores,  and  more  than 
fill  up  the  places  of  those  who  are  killed;  but  the  places 
of  the  Saxons  are  empty,  and  our  fighting  force  is  far 
smaller  than  it  was  last  year.  If  we  again  go  out  and 
again  fight  many  battles,  even  if  we  are  victorious,  which 
we  can  hardly  hope  to  be,  the  same  thing  will  happen. 
Many  thousands  will  be  slain,  and  the  following  year  we 
shall  in  vain  try  to  put  an  army  in  the  field  which  can 
match  that  of  the  Danes,  who  will  again  have  filled  up 
their  ranks,  and  be  as  numerous  as  ever.  So  long  as  we 
continue  to  fight,  so  long  the  Danes  will  slay,  burn,  and 
destroy  wheresoever  they  march,  until  there  will  remain 
of  us  but  a  few  fugitives  hidden  in  the  woods.  We 
should  be  far  better  off  did  we  cease  to  resist,  and  the 
Danes  become  our  masters,  as  they  have  become  the 
masters  of  Northumbria,  Mercia,  and  Anglia. 

"  There,  it  is  true,  they  have  plundered  the  churches 
and  thanes'  houses  and  have  stolen  all  that  is  worth  car- 
rying away;  but  when  they  have  taken  all  that  there  is 
to  take  they  leave  the  people  alone  and  unmolested,  to 
till  the  ground  and  to  gain  their  livelihood.  They  do 
not  slay  for  the  pleasure  of  slaying,  and  grievous  as  is 
the  condition  of  the  Angles  they  and  their  wives  and 
children  are  free  from  massacre  and  are  allowed  to 
gain  their  livings.    The  West  Saxons  have  showed  that 


66  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

they  are  no  cowards;  they  have  defeated  the  Northmen 
over  and  over  again  when  far  outnumbering  them.  It  is 
no  dishonor  to  yield  now  when  all  the  rest  of  England 
has  yielded,  and  when  further  fighting  will  only  bring 
ruin  upon  ourselves,  our  wives,  and  children." 

Edmund  could  find  no  reply  to  this  argument.  He 
knew  that  even  the  king  despaired  of  ultimately  resisting 
the  Danish  invasion,  and  after  listening  to  all  that  the 
thanes  had  to  say  he  retired  with  Egbert  apart. 

"  What  say  you,  Egbert?  There  is  reason  in  the 
arguments  that  they  use.  You  and  I  have  neither 
wives  nor  children,  and  we  risk  only  our  own  lives;  but 
I  can  well  understand  that  those  who  have  so  much  to 
lose  are  chary  of  further  effort.     What  say  you?  " 

"  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  fair  to  press  them  further," 
Egbert  answered;  "but  methinks  that  we  might  raise  a 
band  consisting  of  all  the  youths  and  unmarried  men  in 
the  earldom.  These  we  might  train  carefully  and  keep 
always  together,  seeing  that  the  lands  will  still  be  culti- 
vated and  all  able  to  pay  their  assessment,  and  may  even 
add  to  it,  since  you  exempt  them  from  service.  Such  a 
band  we  could  train  and  practice  until  we  could  rely 
upon  them  to  defeat  a  far  larger  force  of  the  enemy,  and 
they  would  be  available  for  our  crew  when  we  take  to 
the  ship." 

"  I  think  the  idea  is  a  very  good  one,  Egbert;  we  will 
propose  it  to  the  thanes."  The  proposition  was  accord- 
ingly made  that  all  married  men  should  be  exempt  from 
service,  but  that  the  youths  above  the  age  of  sixteen  and 
the  unmarried  men  should  be  formed  into  a  band  and 
kept  permanently  under  arms.  Landowners  who  lost 
the  services  of  sons  or  freemen  working  for  them  should 


A   DISCIPLINED   BAND.  67 

pay  the  same  assessment  only  as  before,  but  those  who 
did  not  contribute  men  to  the  levy  should  pay  an  addi- 
tional assessment.  Edmund  said  he  would  pay  the  men 
composing  the  band  the  same  wages  they  would  earn  in 
the  field,  and  would  undertake  all  their  expenses.  "  So 
long  as  the  king  continues  the  struggle,"  he  said,  "  it  is 
our  duty  to  aid  him,  nor  can  we  escape  from  the  dangers 
and  perils  of  invasion.  Should  the  Danes  come  near  us 
all  must  perforce  fight,  but  so  long  as  they  continue  at  a 
distance  things  can  go  on  here  as  if  we  had  peace  in  the 
land." 

The  proposal  was,  after  some  discussion,  agreed  to, 
and  the  news  caused  gladness  and  contentment  through- 
out the  earldom.  The  younger  men  who  had  been 
included  in  the  levy  were  quite  satisfied  with  the  arrange- 
ment. The  spirit  of  the  West  Saxons  was  still  high,  and 
those  without  wives  and  families  who  would  suffer  by 
their  absence  or  be  ruined  by  their  death  were  eager  to 
continue  the  contest.  The  proposal  that  they  should  be 
paid  as  when  at  work  was  considered  perfectly  satis- 
factory. 

The  men  of  Sherborne  had  under  their  young  leader 
gained  great  credit  by  their  steadiness  and  valor  in  the 
battles  four  years  before,  and  they  looked  forward  to 
fresh  victories  over  the  invader.  The  result  was  that 
ninety  young  men  assembled  for  service.  Edmund  had 
sent  off  a  messenger  to  the  king,  saying  that  the  people 
were  utterly  weary  of  the  war  and  refused  to  take  up 
arms,  but  that  he  was  gathering  a  band  of  young  men 
with  whom  he  would  ere  long  join  him;  but  he  prayed 
for  a  short  delay  in  order  that  he  might  get  them  into  a 
condition  to  be  useful  on  the  day  of  battle. 


68  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

After  consultation  with  Egbert,  Edmund  drew  up  a 
series  of  orders  somewhat  resembling  those  of  modem 
drill.  King  Alfred  had  once,  in  speaking  to  him, 
described  the  manner  in  which  the  Thebans,  a  people  of 
Northern  Greece,  had  fought,  placing  their  troops  in  the 
form  of  a  wedge.  This  formation  he  now  taught  his  men. 
From  morning  to  night  they  were  practiced  at  rally- 
ing from  pursuit  or  flight,  or  changing  from  a  line  into 
the  form  of  a  wedge.  Each  man  had  his  appointed  place, 
both  in  the  line  and  wedge.  Those  who  formed  the  out- 
side line  of  this  formation  were  armed  with  large  shields 
which  covered  them  from  chin  to  foot,  and  with  short 
spears;  those  in  the  inner  lines  carried  no  shields,  but 
bore  spears  of  increasing  length,  so  that  four  lines  of 
spears  projected  from  the  wedge  to  nearly  the  same  dis- 
tance. Inside  the  four  lines  were  twenty  men  armed 
with  shields,  bows,  and  arrows.  The  sides  of  the  wedge 
were  of  equal  length,  so  that  they  could  march  either' 
way. 

Egbert's  place  was  at  the  apex  of  the  wedge  intended 
generally  for  attack.  He  carried  no  spear,  nor  did  those 
at  the  other  corners,  as  they  would  be  covered  by  those 
beside  and  behind  them;  he  was  armed  with  a  huge 
battle-ax.  The  other  leaders  were  also  chosen  for  great 
personal  strength.  Edmund's  place  was  on  horseback 
in  the  middle  of  the  wedge,  whence  he  could  overlook 
the  whole  and  direct  their  movements. 

In  three  weeks  the  men  could  perform  their  simple 
movements  to  perfection,  and  at  a  sound  from  Edmund's 
horn  would  run  in  as  when  scattered  in  pursuit  or  flight, 
or  could  form  from  line  into  the  wedge,  without  the  least 
confusion,  every  man  occupying  his  assigned  place. 


P,&R. 


The  Building  of  thb  "  Dragon."— Page  68, 


A   DISCIPLINED   BAND.  69 

The  men  were  delighted  with  their  new  exercises,  and 
felt  confident  that  the  weight  of  the  solid  mass  thickly 
bristling  with  spears  would  break  through  the  Danish 
line  without  difficulty,  or  could  draw  off  from  the  field 
in  perfect  order  and  safety  in  case  of  a  defeat,  however 
numerous  their  foes.  The  two  front  lines  were  to  thrust 
with  their  pikes,  the  others  keeping  their  long  spears 
immovable  to  form  a  solid  hedge.  Each  man  carried  a 
short  heavy  sword  to  use  in  case,  by  any  fatality,  the 
wedge  should  get  broken  up. 

When  assured  that  his  band  were  perfect  in  their  new 
exercise  Edmund  marched  and  joined  the  king.  He 
found  on  his  arrival  that  the  summons  to  arms  had  been 
everywhere  disregarded.  Many  men  had  indeed  come 
in,  but  these  were  in  no  way  sufficient  to  form  a  force 
which  would  enable  him  to  take  the  field  against  the 
Danes. 

Edmund  therefore  solicited  and  obtained  permission 
to  march  with  his  band  to  endeavor  to  check  the  plunder- 
ing bands  of  Danes,  who  were  already  committing  devas- 
tations throughout  the  country. 

"Be  not  rash,  Edmund,"  the  monarch  said;  "you 
have  but  a  handful  of  men,  and  I  should  grieve  indeed 
did  aught  of  harm  befall  you.  If  you  can  fall  upon  small 
parties  of  plunderers  and  destroy  them  you  will  do  good 
service,  not  only  by  compelling  them  to  keep  together, 
but  by  raising  the  spirits  of  the  Saxons;  but  avoid  con- 
flict with  parties  likely  to  defeat  you." 

"  You  shall  hear  of  us  soon,  I  promise  you,"  Edmund 
replied,  "  and  I  trust  that  the  news  will  be  good." 

The  little  party  set  out  toward  the  border,  and  befcwre 
long  met  numbers  of  fugitives — weeping  women  carrying 


70  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

children,  old  men  and  boys,  making  their  way  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Danes.  The  men  had  for  the  most 
part  driven  their  herds  into  the  woods,  where  they  were 
prepared  to  defend  them  as  best  they  could  against  rov- 
ing parties.  They  learned  that  Haflfa,  a  Danish  jarl, 
with  about  six  hundred  followers,  was  plundering  and 
ravaging  the  country  about  twelve  miles  away.  The 
force  was  a  formidable  one,  but  after  consultation  with 
Egbert,  Edmund  determined  to  advance,  deeming  that 
he  might  find  the  Danes  scattered  ^nd  cut  off  some  of 
their  parties. 

As  they  neared  the  country  of  which  the  Danes  were 
in  possession,  the  smoke  of  burning  villages  and  home- 
steads was  seen  rising  heavily  in  the  air.  Edmund  halted 
for  the  night  in  a  wood  about  a  mile  distant  from  a  blaz- 
ing farm,  and  the  band  lay  down  for  some  hours. 

Before  daybreak  three  or  four  of  the  swiftest-footed 
of  the  men  were  sent  out  to  reconnoiter.  They  learned, 
from  badly  wounded  men  whom  they  found  lying  near 
the  burning  farms,  that  the  Danes  had  been  plundering 
in  parties  of  twenty  or  thirty,  but  that  the  main  body 
under  Haflfa  lay  five  miles  away  at  the  village  of  Bris- 
towe. 

A  consultation  was  held,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the 
party  should  remain  hidden  in  the  wood  during  the  day, 
and  that  upon  the  following  night  they  should  fall  upon 
the  Danes,  trusting  to  the  surprise  to  infliict  much  damage 
upon  them,  and  to  be  able  to  draw  oflf  before  the  enemy 
could  recover  sufficiently  to  rally  and  attack  them. 

Accordingly,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  they 
started,  and  marching  rapidly  approached  Bristowe  an 
hour  and  a  half  later.     They  could  see  great  firee  blazing, 


A   DISCIPLINED   BAND.  7 1 

and  round  them  the  Danes  were  carousing  after  their 
forays  of  the  day.  Great  numbers  of  cattle  were  penned 
up  near  the  village. 

Edmund  and  Egbert,  having  halted  their  men,  stole 
forward  until  close  to  the  village,  in  order  to  learn  the 
nature  of  the  ground  and  the  position  of  the  Danes. 
Upon  their  return  they  waited  until  the  fires  burned  low 
and  the  sound  of  shouting  and  singing  decreased.  It 
was  useless  to  wait  longer,  for  they  knew  that  many  of 
the  Danes  would,  according  to  their  custom,  keep  up 
their  revelry  all  night.  Crawling  along  the  ground,  the 
band  made  for  the  great  pen  where  were  herded  the 
cattle  which  the  Danes  had  driven  in  from  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  over  which  several  guards  had  been 
placed.  Before  starting  Egbert  assigned  to  each  man 
the  special  duties  which  he  was  to  fulfill. 

The  Saxons  crept  up  quite  close  to  the  Danish  guards 
unobserved.  To  each  of  these  three  or  four  bowmen 
had  been  told  off,  and  they  on  nearing  the  sentries  lay 
prone  on  the  ground  with  bows  bent  and  arrows  fixed 
until  a  whistle  from  Edmund  gave  the  signal.  Then  the 
arrows  were  loosed,  and  the  distance  being  so  short  the 
Danish  sentries  were  all  slain.  Then  a  party  of  men 
removed  the  side  of  the  pen  facing  the  village;  the  rest 
mingled  with  the  cattle,  and  soon  with  the  points  of  their 
spears  goaded  them  into  flight.  In  a  mass  the  herd 
thundered  down  upon  the  village,  the  Saxons  keeping 
closely  behind  them  and  adding  to  their  terror  by  goad- 
ing the  hindermost. 

The  Danes,  astonished  at  the  sudden  thunder  of  hoofs 
bearing  down  upon  them,  leaped  to  their  feet  and 
endeavored  to  turn  the  course  of  the  herd,  which  they 


72  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

deemed  to  have  accidentally  broken  loose,  by  loud  shouts 
and  by  rattling  their  swords  against  their  shields.  The 
oxen,  however,  were  too  terrified  by  those  in  their  rear 
to  check  their  course  and  charged  impetuously  down 
upon  the  Danes. 

Numbers  of  these  were  hurled  to  the  ground  and 
trampled  under  foot,  and  the  wildest  confusion  reigned  in 
the  camp.  This  was  increased  when,  as  the  herd  swept 
along,  a  number  of  active  men  with  spear  and  sword  fell 
suddenly  upon  them.  Scores  were  cut  down  or  run 
through  before  they  could  prepare  for  defense,  or  recover 
from  their  surprise  at  the  novel  method  of  attack. 

At  last,  as  the  thunder  of  the  herd  died  away  in  the 
distance,  and  they  became  aware  of  the  comparative  few- 
ness of  their  foes,  they  began  to  rally  and  make  head 
against  their  assailants.  No  sooner  was  this  the  case 
than  the  note  of  a  horn  was  heard,  and  as  if  by  magic 
their  assailants  instantly  darted  away  into  the  night,  leav- 
ing the  superstitious  Danes  in  some  doubt  whether  the 
whole  attack  upon  them  had  not  been  of  a  supernatural 
nature. 

Long  before  they  recovered  themselves,  and  were 
ready  for  pursuit,  the  Saxons  were  far  away ;  no  less  than 
two  hundred  of  the  Danes  having  been  slain  or  trampled 
to  death,  while  of  Edmund's  band  not  one  had  received 
so  much  as  a  wound. 

The  Saxons  regained  the  wood  in  the  highest  state  of 
exultation  at  their  success,  and  more  confident  than  be- 
fore in  themselves  and  their  leader. 

"  I  am  convinced,"  Edmund  said,  "  that  this  is  the 
true  way  to  fight  the  Danes;  to  harry  and  attack  them 
by  night  assaults  until  they  dare  not  break  up  into  par- 


A   DISCIPLINED    BAND.  73 

ties,  and  become  so  worn  out  by  constant  alarms  that 
they  will  be  glad  to  leave  a  country  where  plunder  and 
booty  are  only  to  be  earned  at  so  great  a  cost." 

Knowing  that  Haffa's  band  would  for  some  time  be 
thoroughly  on  the  alert,  Edmund  moved  his  party  to 
another  portion  of  the  country,  where  he  inflicted  a  blow, 
almost  as  heavy  as  he  had  dealt  Haffa,  upon  Sigbert, 
another  of  the  Danish  jarls.  Three  or  four  more  very 
successful  night  attacks  were  made,  and  then  the  Danes, 
by  this  time  thoroughly  alarmed,  obtained  from  some 
Saxon  country  people  whom  they  took  prisoners  news  as 
to  the  strength  of  Edmund's  band. 

Furious  at  the  heavy  losses  which  had  been  inflicted 
upon  them  by  so  small  a  number,  they  determined  to 
unite  in  crushing  them.  By  threats  of  instant  death,  and 
by  the  offers  of  a  high  reward,  they  succeeded  in  per- 
suading two  Saxon  prisoners  to  act  as  spies,  and  one  day 
these  brought  in  to  Haflfa  the  news  that  the  band  had 
that  morning,  after  striking  a  successful  blow  at  the 
Danes  ten  miles  away,  entered  at  daybreak  a  wood  but 
three  miles^  from  his  camp. 

The  Northman,  disdaining  to  ask  for  assistance  from 
one  of  the  other  bands  against  so  small  a  foe,  moved  out 
at  once  with  three  hundred  of  his  men  toward  the  wood. 
The  Saxons  had  posted  guards,  who  on  the  approach  of 
the  Danes  roused  Edmund  with  the  news  that  the  enemy 
were  close  at  hand.    The  Saxons  were  soon  on  their  feet. 

"  Now,  my  friends,"  Edmund  said  to  them,  "  here  is 
the  time  for  trying  what  benefit  we  have  got  from  our 
exercise.  We  cannot  well  draw  off,  for  the  Danes  are  as 
fleet-footed  as  we;  therefore  let  us  fight  and  conquer 
them." 


74  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

The  men  formed  up  cheerfully,  and  the  little  body 
moved  out  from  the  wood  to  meet  the  Danes.  The 
latter  gave  a  shout  of  triumph  as  they  saw  them.  The 
Saxon  force,  from  its  compact  formation,  appeared  even 
smaller  than  it  was,  and  the  Norsemen  advanced  in  haste, 
each  eager  to  be  the  first  to  fall  upon  an  enemy  whom 
they  regarded  as  an  easy  prey.  As  they  arrived  upon 
the  spot,  however,  and  saw  the  thick  hedge  of  spears 
which  bristled  round  the  little  body  of  Saxons,  the  first 
comers  checked  their  speed  and  waited  till  Haflfa  himself 
came  up,  accompanied  by  his  principal  warriors. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation  the  jarl  flung  himself 
upon  the  Saxons,  In  vain,  however,  he  tried  to  reach 
them  with  his  long  sword.  As  he  neared  them  the  front 
line  of  the  Saxons  dropped  on  one  knee,  and  as  the 
Danes  with  their  shields  dashed  against  the  spears  and 
strove  to  cut  through  them,  the  kneeling  men  were  able 
with  their  pikes  to  thrust  at  the  unguarded  portions  of 
the  bodies  below  their  shields,  and  many  fell  grievously 
wounded.  After  trying  for  some  time  in  vain,  HafTa, 
finding  that  individual  eflfort  did  not  suffice  to  break 
through  the  Saxon  spears,  formed  his  men  up  in  line 
four  deep,  and  advanced  in  a  solid  body  so  as  to  over- 
whelm them. 

The  Saxons  now  rose  to  their  feet.  The  spears,  in- 
stead of  being  pointed  outward,  were  inclined  toward 
the  front,  and  the  wedge  advanced  against  the  Danes. 
The  Saxon  war-cry  rose  loud  as  they  neared  the  Danish 
line,  and  then,  still  maintaining  their  close  formation, 
they  charged  upon  it.  The  assault  was  irresistible.  The 
whole  weight  was  thrown  upon  a  point,  and  preceded  as 
it  was  by  the  densely-packed  spears,  it  burst  through  the 


A   DISCIPLINED   BAND.  75 

Danish  line  as  if  the  latter  had  been  composed  of  osier 
twigs,  bearing  down  all  in  its  way. 

With  shouts  of  surprise  the  Danes  broke  up  their  line 
and  closed  in  a  thick  mass  round  the  Saxons,  those  be- 
hind pressing  forward  and  impeding  the  motions  of  the 
warriors  actually  engaged.  The  Saxons  no  longer  kept 
stationary.  In  obedience  to  Edmund's  orders  the 
triangle  advanced,  sometimes  with  one  angle  in  front, 
sometimes  with  another,  but  whichever  way  it  moved 
sweeping  away  the  Danes  opposed  to  it,  while  the  archers 
from  the  center  shot  fast  and  strong  into  the  mass  of  the 
enemy. 

Haflfa  himself,  trying  to  oppose  the  advance  of  the 
wedge,  was  slain  by  a  blow  of  Egbert's  ax,  and  after  half 
an  hour's  fierce  fighting,  the  Danes,  having  lost  upward 
of  fifty  of  their  best  men,  and  finding  all  their  efforts  to 
produce  an  impression  upon  the  Saxons  vain,  desisted 
from  the  attack  and  fled. 

"i^t  once  the  wedge  broke  up  and  the  Saxons  followed 
in  hot  pursuit,  cutting  down  their  flying  enemies. 
Obedient,  however,  to  Edmund's  repeated  shouts,  they 
kept  fairly  together,  and  when  the  Danes,  thinking  them 
broken  and  disordered,  turned  to  fall  upon  them,  a  single 
note  of  the  horn  brought  them  instantly  together  again, 
and  the  astonished  Danes  saw  the  phalanx  which  had 
proved  so  fatal  to  them  prepared  to  receive  their  attack. 
This  they  did  not  attempt  to  deliver,  but  took  to  flight, 
the  Saxons,  as  before,  pursuing,  and  twice  as  many  of 
the  Danes  were  slain  in  the  retreat  as  in  the  first  attack. 

The  pursuit  was  continued  for  many  miles,  and  then, 
fearing  that  he  might  come  across  some  fresh  body  of 
the  enemy,  Edmund  called  off  his  men.     Great  was  the 


^6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

triumph  of  the  Saxons.  A  few  of  them  had  suffered 
from  wounds  more  or  less  serious,  but  not  one  had  fallen. 
They  had  defeated  a  body  of  Danes  four  times  their  own 
force,  and  had  killed  nearly  half  of  them,  and  they  felt 
confident  that  the  tactics  which  they  had  adopted  would 
enable  them  in  future  to  defeat  any  scattered  bodies  of 
Danes  they  might  meet. 

For  a  week  after  the  battle  they  rested,  spending  their 
time  in  further  improving  themselves  in  their  drill,  prac- 
ticing especially  the  alterations  of  the  position  of  the 
spears  requisite  when  changing  from  a  defensive  attitude, 
with  the  pikes  at  right  angles  to  each  face,  to  that  of  an 
attack,  when  the  spears  of  both  faces  of  the  advancing 
wedge  were  all  directed  forward.  A  messenger  arrived 
from  the  king,  to  whom  Edmund  had  sent  the  news  of 
his  various  successes,  and  Alfred  sent  his  warmest  con- 
gratulations and  thanks  for  the  great  results  which  had 
been  gained  with  so  small  a  force,  the  king  confessing 
that  he  was  unable  to  understand  how  with  such  dispro- 
portionate numbers  Edmund  could  so  totally  have  routed 
the  force  of  so  distinguished  a  leader  as  Haffa. 

For  some  weeks  Edmund  continued  the  work  of 
checking  the  depredations  of  the  Danes,  and  so  success- 
ful was  he  that  the  freebooters  became  seized  with  a 
superstitious  awe  of  his  band.  The  rapidity  of  its 
maneuvering,  the  manner  in  which  men — at  one  moment 
scattered — were  in  another  formed  in  a  serried  mass, 
against  which  all  their  efforts  broke  as  waves  against 
a  rock,  seemed  to  them  to  be  something  superhuman. 
In  that  part  of  Wessex,  therefore,  the  invaders  gradu- 
ally withdrew  their  forces  across  the  frontier;  but 
in  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  tide  of  invasion  being 


A    DISCIPLINED    BAND.  77 

unchecked,  large  tracts  of  country  had  been  devastated, 
and  the  West  Saxons  could  nowhere  make  head  against 
them.  One  day  a  messenger  reached  Edmund,  teUing 
him  that  a  large  Danish  army  was  approaching  Sher- 
borne, and  urging  him  to  return  instantly  to  the  defense 
of  his  earldom. 

With  rapid  marches  he  proceeded  thither,  and  on  arriv- 
ing at  his  house  he  found  that  the  Danes  were  but  a  few 
miles  away,  and  that  the  whole  country  was  in  a  state  of 
panic.  He  at  once  sent  off  messengers  in  all  directions, 
bidding  the  people  hasten  with  their  wives  and  families, 
their  herds  and  valuables,  to  the  fort.  His  return  to 
some  extent  restored  confidence.  The  news  of  the  vic- 
tories he  had  gained  over  the  Danes  had  reached  Sher- 
borne, and  the  confidence  of  their  power  to  defeat  the 
invaders  which  his  followers  expressed  as  they  scattered 
to  their  respective  farms  again  raised  the  courage  of  the 
people. 

All  through  the  night  bands  of  fugitives  poured  into 
the  fort,  and  by  morning  the  whole  of  the  people  for 
many  miles  round  were  assembled  there.  Egbert  and 
Edmund  busied  themselves  in  assigning  to  each  his  duty 
and  station.  All  the  men  capable  of  bearing  arms  were 
told  off  to  posts  on  the  walls.  The  old  men  and  young 
boys  were  to  draw  water  and  look  after  the  cattle;  the 
women  to  cook  and  attend  to  the  wounded.  The  men 
of  his  own  band  were  not  placed  upon  the  walls,  but  were 
held  in  readiness  as  a  reserve  to  move  to  any  point  which 
might  be  threatened,  and  to  take  part  in  sorties  against 
the  enemy. 

Soon  smoke  was  seen  rising  uf>  in  many  directions, 
showing  that  the  enemy  were  at  their  accustomed  work. 


78  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Cries  broke  from  the  women  and  exclamations  of  rage 
from  the  men,  as  they  recognized  by  the  direction  of  the 
smoke  that  their  own  homesteads  and  villages  were  in 
the  hands  of  the  spoilers.  About  midday  a  party  of 
mounted  Danes  rode  up  toward  the  fort  and  made  a 
circuit  of  it.  When  they  had  satisfied  themselves  as  to 
the  formidable  nature  of  its  defenses  they  rode  off  again, 
and  for  the  rest  of  the  day  none  of  the  enemy  approached 


CHAPTER  VI.  ^ 

THE   SAXON    FORT. 

A  STRICT  watch  was  kept  all  night,  and  several  scouts 
were  sent  out.  These  on  their  return  reported  that  the 
Danes  were  feasting,  having  slain  many  cattle  and 
broached  the  casks  of  mead  which  they  found  in  the 
cellars  of  Edmund's  house.  This  they  had  not  burned, 
nor  the  houses  around  it,  intending,  as  the  scouts  sup- 
posed, to  make  it  their  headquarters  while  they  attacked 
the  fort. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  agreed  that  it  would  be  well  to 
show  the  Danes  at  once  that  they  had  an  active  and 
enterprising  foe  to  deal  with;  they  therefore  awakened 
their  band,  who  were  sleeping  on  skins  close  to  the  gate, 
and  with  them  started  out. 

It  was  still  two  hours  before  dawn  when  they  ap- 
proached the  house.  Save  a  few  men  on  watch,  the 
g^eat  Danish  host,  which  the  messengers  calculated  to 
amount  to  ten  thousand  men,  were  asleep.  Cautiously 
making  their  way  so  as  to  avoid  stumbling  over  the 
Danes,  who  lay  scattered  in  groups  round  the  house,  the 
Saxons  crept  forward  quietly  until  close  to  the  entrance, 
when  a  sleepy  watchman  started  up: 

"  Who  are  ye?  " 

The  answer  was  a  blow  from  Egbert's  battle-ax.  Then 
the  leaders  with  twenty  of  their  men  rushed  into  the 
house,  while  the  rest  remained  on  guard  at  the  entrance. 


8o  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

The  combat  was  short  but  furious,  and  the  clashing 
of  arms  and  the  shouts  of  the  Danes  roused  those  sleep- 
ing near,  and  the  men  who  escaped  from  the  house 
spread  the  alarm.  The  fight  lasted  but  three  or  four 
minutes,  for  the  Danes,  scattered  through  the  house, 
and  in  many  cases  still  stupid  from  the  effects  of  the 
previous  night's  debauch,  were  unable  to  gather  and 
make  any  collective  resistance.  The  two  jarls  fought  in 
a  manner  worthy  of  their  renown,  but  the  Saxon  spears 
proved  more  than  a  match  for  their  swords,  and  they 
died,  fighting  bravely  till  the  last.  ^  Between  Saxon  and 
Dane  there  was  no  thought  of  quarter;  none  asked  for 
mercy  on  either  side,  for  none  would  be  granted.  The 
sea  rovers  never  spared  an  armed  man  who  fell  into  their 
hands,  and  the  Saxons  were  infuriated  by  the  sufferings 
which  the  invaders  had  inflicted  upon  them,  and  had  no 
more  pity  upon  their  foes  than  if  they  had  been  wild 
animals.  Besides  the  jarls  some  thirty  of  their  minor 
leaders  were  in  the  house,  and  but  five  or  six  of  them 
escaped.  It  was  well  for  the  Danes  that  the  detachment 
which  lay  there  was  not  their  principal  body,  which  was 
still  a  few  miles  in  the  rear,  for,  had  it  been  so,  two  of 
their  kings  and  six  jarls,  all  men  of  famed  valor,  would 
have  been  slain.  The  instant  the  work  was  done  the 
Saxons  rejoined  those  assembled  at  the  entrance. 

Already  the  Danes  were  thronging  up,  but  at  present 
in  confusion  and  disorder,  coming  rather  to  see  what 
was  the  matter  than  to  fight,  and  hardly  believing  that 
the  Saxons  could  have  had  the  audacity  to  attack  them. 
In  an  instant  the  Saxons  fell  into  their  usual  formation, 
and,  overturning  and  cutting  down  those  who  happened 
to  be  in  their  path,  burst  through  the  straggling  Danes, 
and  at  a  trot  proceeded  across  the  country. 


THE   SAXON   FORT.  8l 

It  was  still  quite  dark,  and  it  was  some  time  before  the 
Danes  became  thoroughly  aware  of  what  had  happened; 
then,  missing  the  voices  of  their  leaders,  some  of  them 
rushed  into  the  house,  and  the  news  that  the  two  jarls 
and  their  companions  had  been  slain  roused  them  to 
fury.  At  once  they  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the  Saxons  in  a 
tumultuous  throng;  but  the  band  had  already  a  con- 
siderable start,  and  had  the  advantage  of  knowing  every 
foot  of  the  country,  of  which  the  Danes  were  ignorant. 
When  once  fairly  through  the  enemy,  Edmund  had  given 
the  word  and  the  formation  had  broken  up,  so  that  each 
man  could  run  freely  and  without  jostling  his  comrades. 
Thus,  they  were  enabled  to  proceed  at  a  rapid  pace,  and 
reached  the  fort  just  as  day  was  breaking,  without  hav- 
ing been  discovered  or  overtaken  by  the  Danes. 

The  news  of  this  successful  exploit  raised  the  spirits 
of  the  garrison  of  the  fort.  The  Danes  swarmed  nearly 
up  to  the  walls,  but,  seeing  how  formidable  was  the  posi- 
tion, and  being  without  leaders,  they  fell  back  without 
making  an  attack,  some  of  the  more  impetuous  having 
fallen  from  the  arrows  of  the  bowmen. 

About  midday  a  solid  mass  of  the  enemy  was  seen 
approaching,  and  the  banners  with  the  Black  Raven  on 
a  blood-red  field  showed  that  it  contained  leaders  of 
importance,  and  was,  in  fact,  the  main  body  of  the  Danes. 
It  was  an  imposing  sight  as  it  marched  toward  the  fort, 
with  the  fluttering  banners,  the  sun  shining  upon  the 
brass  helmets  and  shields  of  the  chiefs,  and  the  spear- 
heads and  swords  of  the  footmen.  Here  and  there  par- 
ties of  horsemen  galloped  about  the  plain. 

"  Their  number  has  not  been  exaggerated,"  Egbert 
said  to  Edmund,  "  there  must  be  ten  thousand  of  them. 


82  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

There  are  full  twice  as  many  as  attacked  us  on  the  field 
of  Kesteven." 

The  sight  of  the  great  array  struck  terror  into  the 
minds  of  a  great  part  of  the  defenders  of  the  fort;  but 
the  confident  bearing  of  their  young  ealdorman  and  the 
thought  of  the  strength  of  their  walls  reassured  them. 
The  Danes  halted  at  a  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  walls,  and  three  or  four  of  their  chiefs 
rode  forward.  These,  by  the  splendor  of  their  helmets, 
shields,  and  trappings,  were  clearly  men  of  great  impor- 
tance. They  halted  just  out  of  bowshot  distance,  and 
one  of  them,  raising  his  voice,  shouted: 

"  Dogs  of  Saxons !  had  you  laid  down  your  arms,  and 
made  submission  to  me,  I  would  have  spared  you;  but 
for  the  deed  which  you  did  last  night,  and  the  slaying  of 
my  brave  jarls,  I  swear  that  I  will  have  revenge  upon 
you,  and,  by  the  god  Wodin,  I  vow  that  not  one  within 
your  walls — man,  woman,  or  child — shall  be  spared. 
This  is  the  oath  of  King  Uflfa." 

"  It  were  well,  King  Uffa,"  Edmund  shouted  back, 
**  to  take  no  rash  oaths ;  before  you  talk  of  slaying  you 
have  got  to  capture,  and  you  will  need  all  the  aid  of  your 
false  gods  before  you  take  this  fort.  As  to  mercy,  we 
should  as  soon  ask  it  of  wolves.  We  have  God  and  our 
good  swords  to  protect  us,  and  we  fear  not  your  host, 
were  it  three  times  as  strong  as  it  is." 

The  Saxons  raised  a  great  shout,  and  the  Danish  king 
rode  back  to  his  troops.  The  lesson  which  had  been 
given  them  of  the  enterprise  of  the  Saxons  was  not  lost, 
for  the  Danes  at  once  began  to  form  a  camp,  raising  an 
earthen  bank  which  they  crowned  with  stakes  and  bushes 
as  a  defense  against  sudden  attacks.    This  work  occu- 


THE   SAXON   FORT.  , .  .  83 

pied  them  two  days,  and  during  this  time  no  blow  was 
struck  on  either  side,  as  the  Danes  posted  a  strong  body; 
of  men  each  night  to  prevent  the  Saxons  from  sallying 
out.  On  the  third  day  the  work  was  finished,  and  the 
Danish  kings  with  their  jarls  made  a  circuit  round  the 
walls,  evidently  to  select  the  place  for  attack. 

The  time  had  passed  quietly  in  the  fort.  In  one  cor- 
ner the  priests  had  erected  an  altar,  and  here  Mass  was 
said  three  times  a  day.  The  priests  went  among  the  sol- 
diers exhorting  them  to  resist  to  the  last,  confessing 
them,  and  giving  them  absolution. 

The  pains  which  the  Danes  had  taken  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  their  camp  was  a  proof  of  their  determination  to 
capture  the  fort,  however  long  the  operation  might  be. 
It  showed,  too,  that  they  recognized  the  difficulty  of  the 
task,  for  had  they  believed  that  the  capture  could  be 
easily  effected,  they  would  at  once  upon  their  arrival  have 
advanced  to  the  attack. 

"  To-morrow  morning  early,"  Egbert  said,  "  I  expect 
that  they  will  assault  us.  In  the  first  place  probably  they 
will  endeavor  to  carry  the  fort  by  a  general  attack;  if 
they  fail  in  this  they  will  set  to  to  construct  engines  with 
which  to  batter  the  wall." 

At  daybreak  the  following  morning  the  Danes  issued 
from  their  camp.  Having  formed  up  in  regular  order, 
they  advanced  toward  the  castle.  They  divided  into  four 
bands ;  three  of  these  wheeled  round  to  opposite  sides  of 
the  fort,  the  fourth,  which  was  as  large  as  the  other  three 
together,  advanced  toward  the  entrance.  The  Saxons 
all  took  the  posts  previously  assigned  to  them  on  the 
walls.  Edmund  strengthened  the  force  on  the  side 
where  the  gate  was  by  posting  tiiere  in  addition  the 


84  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

whole  of  his  band.  Altogether  there  were  nearly  three 
hundred  and  fifty  fighting  men  within  the  walls,  of  whom 
the  greater  part  had  fought  against  the  Danes  in  the 
battles  of  the  previous  year.  The  attack  commenced 
simultaneously  on  all  sides  by  a  discharge  of  arrows  by 
the  archers  of  both  parties.  The  Saxons,  sheltered  be- 
hind the  parapet  on  the  walls,  suffered  but  slightly;  but 
their  missiles  did  considerable  execution  among  the 
masses  of  the  Danes.  These,  however,  did  not  pause  to 
continue  the  conflict  at  a  distance,  but,  uttering  their 
battle  cry,  rushed  forward. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  had  but  little  fear  of  the  attack 
on  the  other  faces  of  the  fort  proving  successful;  the 
chief  assault  was  against  the  gate,  and  it  was  here  that 
the  real  danger  existed. 

The  main  body  of  the  Danes  covered  themselves  with 
their  shields  and  rushed  forward  with  the  greatest  deter- 
mination, pouring  through  the  gap  in  the  outer  bank  in 
a  solid  mass,  and  then  turned  along  the  fosse  toward  the 
inner  gate.  Closely  packed  together,  with  their  shields 
above  their  heads  forming  a  sort  of  testudo  or  roof  which 
protected  them  against  the  Saxons'  arrows,  they  pressed 
forward  in  spite  of  the  shower  of  missiles  with  which  the 
Saxons  on  the  walls  assailed  them.  Arrows,  darts,  and 
great  stones  were  showered  down  upon  them,  the  latter 
breaking  down  the  shields,  and  affording  the  archers  an 
opportunity  of  pouring  in  their  arrows. 

Numbers  fell,  but  the  column  swept  along  until  it 
gained  the  gate.  Here  those  in  front  began  an  attack 
upon  the  massive  beams  with  their  axes,  and  when  they 
had  somewhat  weakened  it,  battered  it  with  heavy  beams 


THE   SAXON    FORT.  85 

of  timber  until  it  was  completely  splintered.  While  this 
was  going  on  the  Saxons  had  continued  to  shoot  without 
intermission,  and  the  Danish  dead  were  heaped  thickly 
around  the  gate.  The  Danish  archers,  assisted  by  their 
comrades,  had  scrambled  up  on  to  the  outer  bank,  and 
kept  up  a  heavy  fire  on  the  defenders  of  the  wall.  The 
Saxons  sheltered  their  heads  and  shoulders  which  were 
above  the  parapet  with  their  shields;  and  between  these, 
as  through  loopholes,  their  archers  shot  at  the  Danes. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  had  debated  much  on  the  pre- 
vious days  whether  they  would  pile  stones  behind  the 
gate,  but  had  finally  agreed  not  to  do  so.  They  argued 
that,  although  for  a  time  the  stones  would  impede  the 
progress  of  the  Danes,  these  would,  if  they  shattered  the 
door,  sooner  or  later  pull  down  the  stones  or  climb 
over  them;  and  it  was  better  to  have  a  smooth  and  level 
place  for  defense  inside.  They  had,  however,  raised  a 
bank  of  earth  ten  feet  high  in  a  semicircle  at  a  distance  of 
twenty  yards  within  the  gate. 

When  it  was  seen  that  the  gates  were  yielding,  Ed- 
mund had  called  down  his  own  band  from  the  walls  and 
formed  them  in  a  half-circle  ten  yards  from  the  gate. 
They  were  four  deep,  as  in  their  usual  formation,  with 
the  four  lines  of  spears  projecting  toward  the  gate.  The 
mound  behind  them  he  lined  with  archers. 

At  last  the  gates  fell,  and  with  an  exulting  shout  the 
Danes  poured  in.  As  they  did  so  the  archers  on  the 
mound  loosed  their  arrows,  and  the  head  of  the  Danish 
column  melted  like  snow  before  the  blast  of  a  furnace. 
Still  they  poured  in  and  flung  themselves  upon  the  spear- 
men, but  they  strove  in  vain  to  pierce  the  hedge  of  sted. 


86  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Desperately  they  threw  themselves  upon  the  pike-heads 
and  died  there  bravely,  but  they  were  powerless  to  break 
a  passage. 

The  archers  on  the  mound  still  shot  fast  among  them, 
while  those  on  the  wall,  turning  round,  smote  them  in 
the  back,  where,  unprotected  by  their  shields,  they 
offered  a  sure  and  fatal  mark.  Soon  the  narrow  semi- 
circle inside  the  gate  became  heaped  high  with  dead, 
impeding  the  efforts  of  those  still  pressing  in.  Several 
of  the  bravest  of  the  Danish  lea4ers  had  fallen.  The 
crowd  in  the  fosse,  unaware  of  the  obstacle  which  pre- 
vented the  advance  of  the  head  of  the  column,  and 
harassed  by  the  missiles  from  above,  grew  impatient, 
and  after  half  an  hour  of  desperate  efforts,  and  having 
lost  upward  of  three  hundred  of  his  best  men,  the  Danish 
king,  furious  with  rage  and  disappointment,  called  off 
his  men. 

On  the  other  three  sides  the  attack  equally  failed.  The 
Danes  suffered  heavily  while  climbing  the  steep  side  of 
the  inner  mound.  They  brought  with  them  fagots, 
which  they  cast  down  at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  but  this  was 
built  so  near  the  edge  of  the  slope  that  they  were  unable 
to  pile  sufficient  fagots  to  give  them  the  height  required 
for  a  successful  assault  upon  it.  Many  climbed  upon 
their  comrades'  shoulders,  and  so  tried  to  scale  the  wall, 
but  they  were  thrust  down  by  the  Saxon  spears  as  they 
raised  themselves  to  its  level,  and  in  no  place  succeeded 
in  gaining  a  footing.  Over  two  hundred  fell  in  the  three 
minor  attacks. 

There  were  great  rejoicings  among  the  Saxons,  on 
whose  side  but  twenty-three  had  been  killed.  A  solemn 
Mass  was  held,  at  which  all  save  a  few  lookouts  on  the 


THK   SAXON    FORT.  87 

walls  attended,  and  thanks  were  returned  to  God  for  the 
repulse  of  the  pagans;  then  the  garrison,  full  of  confi- 
dence, awaited  the  next  attack  of  the  enemy. 

Stones  were  piled  up  in  the  gateway  to  prevent  any 
sudden  surprise  being  effected  there.  The  Danes  in 
their  retreat  had  carried  off  their  dead,  and  the  next 
morning  the  Saxons  saw  that  they  were  busy  with  the 
ceremonies  of  their  burial.  At  some  little  distance  from 
their  camp  the  dead  were  placed  in  a  sitting  position,  in 
long  rows,  back  to  back  with  their  weapons  by  their 
sides,  and  earth  was  piled  over  them  until  a  great  mound, 
fifty  yards  long  and  ten  feet  high,  was  raised. 

Three  jarls  and  one  of  their  kings  were  buried  sepa- 
rately. They  were  placed  together  in  a  sitting  position, 
with  their  helmets  on  their  heads,  their  shields  on  their 
arms,  and  their  swords  by  their  sides.  Their  four  war 
horses  were  killed  and  laid  beside  them;  twenty  slaves 
were  slaughtered  and  placed  lying  round  them,  for  their 
spirits  to  attend  them  in  the  Walhalla  of  the  gods. 
Golden  drinking  vessels  and  other  ornaments  were  placed 
by  them,  and  then  a  mound,  forty  feet  in  diameter  and 
twenty  feet  high,  was  piled  over  the  whole. 

The  whole  force  was  occupied  all  day  with  this  work. 
The  next  day  numbers  of  trees  were  felled  and  brought 
to  the  camp,  and  for  the  next  two  days  the  Danes  were 
occupied  in  the  manufacture  of  war  engines  for  battering 
down  the  walls.  Edmund  and  Egbert  utilized  the  time 
in  instructing  the  soldiers  who  did  not  form  part  of  the 
regular  band  in  the  formation  of  the  quadruple  line  of 
defense  which  the  Danes  had  found  it  so  impossible  to 
break  through,  so  that  if  more  than  one  breach  was 
effected,  a  resistance  similar  to  that  made  at  the  gate 


S8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

could  be  offered  at  all  points.  The  skins  of  the  oxen 
killed  for  the  use  of  the  garrison  were  carefully  laid  aside, 
the  inside  being  thickly  rubbed  with  grease. 

The  Danish  preparations  were  at  length  completed, 
the  war-  engines  were  brought  up  and  began  to  hurl  great 
stones  against  the  wall  at  three  points.  The  Saxons  kept 
up  a  constant  fire  of  arrows  at  those  employed  at  work- 
ing them,  but  the  Danes,  though  losing  many  men,  threw 
up  breastworks  to  protect  them. 

The  Saxons  manufactured  many  broad  ladders,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  lowering  these  over  the  walls, 
they  descended  noiselessly,  and  three  strong  bodies  fell 
upon  the  Danes  guarding  the  engines.  These  fought 
stoutly,  but  were  driven  back,  the  engines  were  de- 
stroyed, and  the  Saxons  retired  to  their  walls  again  and 
drew  up  their  ladders  before  the  main  body  of  Danes 
could  arrive  from  the  camp.  This  caused  a  delay  of 
some  days  in  the  siege,  but  fresh  engines  having  been 
constructed,  the  assault  on  the  walls  was  recommenced; 
this  time  the  whole  Danish  army  moving  out  and  sleep- 
ing at  night  close  to  them. 

After  three  days'  battering,  breaches  of  from  thirty  to 
fifty  feet  wide  were  effected  in  the  walls.  The  Saxons 
had  not  been  idle.  Behind  each  of  the  threatened  points 
they  raised  banks  of  earth  ten  feet  high,  and  cut  away  the 
bank  perpendicularly  behind  the  shattered  wall,  so  that 
the  assailants,  as  they  poured  in  at  the  gaps,  would  have 
to  leap  ten  feet  down. 

Each  night  the  masses  of  wall  which  fell  inside  were 
cleared  away,  and  when  the  breach  was  complete,  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  assault  would  take  place  the  next 


THE   SAXON    FORT.  89 

morning,  the  hides  which  had  been  prepared  were  laid 
with  the  hairy  side  down,  on  the  ground  below. 
Through  them  they  drove  firmly  into  the  ground  num- 
bers of  pikes  with  the  heads  sticking  up  one  or  two  feet, 
and  pointed  stakes  hardened  in  the  fire.  Then,  satisfied 
that  all  had  been  done,  the  Saxons  lay  down  to  rest. 

In  the  morning  the  Danes  advanced  to  the  assault. 
This  time  they  were  but  little  annoyed  in  their  advance 
by  the  archers.  These  were  posted  on  the  walls  at  each 
side  of  the  gaps  to  shoot  down  at  the  backs  of  the  Danes 
after  they  had  entered.  On  the  inner  semicircular 
mounds  the  Saxon  force  gathered  four  deep. 

With  loud  shouts  the,  Danes  rushed  forward,  climbed 
the  outer  mounds,  and  reached  the  breaches.  Here  the 
leaders  paused  on  seeing  the  gulf  below  them,  but, 
pressed  by  those  behind,  they  could  not  hesitate  long, 
but  leaped  down  from  the  breach  on  to  the  slippery  hides 
below. 

Not  one  who  did  so  lived.  It  was  impossible  to  keep 
their  feet  as  they  alighted,  and  as  they  fell  they  were 
impaled  by  the  pikes  and  stakes.  Pressed  by  those  be- 
hind, however,  fresh  men  leaped  down,  falling  in  their 
turn,  until  at  length  the  hides  and  stakes  were  covered, 
and  those  leaping  down  found  a  foothold  on  the  bodies 
of  the  fallen.  Then  they  crowded  on  and  strove  to  climb 
the  inner  bank  and  attack  the  Saxons,  Now  the  archers 
on  the  walls  opened  fire  upon  them,  and,  pierced  through 
and  through  with  the  arrows  which  struck  them  on  the 
back,  the  Danes  fell  in  great  numbers.  Edmund  com- 
manded at  one  of  the  breaches,  Egbert  at  another,  and 
Oswald,  an  old  and  experienced  warrior,  at  the  third. 


90  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

At  each  point  the  scene  was  similar.  The  Danes 
struggled  up  the  mounds  only  to  fail  to  break  through 
the  hedge  of  spears  which  crowned  them,  vast  numbers 
dying  in  the  attempt,  while  as  many  more  fell  pierced 
with  arrows.  For  an  hour  the  Danes  continued  their 
desperate  efforts,  and  not  until  fifteen  hundred  had  been 
slain  did  they  draw  ofT  to  their  camp,  finding  it  impos- 
sible to  break  through  the  Saxon  defenses. 

Loud  rose  the  shouts  of  the  triumphant  Saxons  as  the 
Danes  retired,  and  it  needed  all  the  efforts  of  their 
leaders  to  prevent  them  from  pouring  out  in  pursuit;  but 
the  events  of  the  preceding  year  had  taught  the  Saxon 
leaders  how  often  their  impetuosity  after  success  had 
proved  fatal  to  the  Saxons,  and  that  once  in  the  plain  the 
Danes  would  turn  upon  them  and  crush  them  by  their 
still  greatly  superior  numbers.  Therefore  no  one  was 
allowed  to  sally  out,  and  the  discomfited  Danes  retired 
unmolested. 

The  next  morning,  to  their  joy,  the  Saxons  saw  that 
the  invaders  had  broken  up  their  camp,  and  had  marched 
away  in  the  night.  Scouts  were  sent  out  in  various 
directions,  and  the  Saxons  employed  themselves  in  strip- 
ping and  burying  the  Danes  who  had  fallen  within  the 
fort,  only  a  few  of  the  most  distinguished  having  been 
carried  off.  The  scouts  returned  with  news  that  the 
Danes  had  made  no  halt,  but  had  departed  entirely  from 
that  part  of  the  country.  Finding  that  for  the  present 
they  were  free  of  the  invaders,  the  Saxons  left  the  fort, 
and  scattered  again,  to  rebuild  as  best  they  might  their 
devastated  homes. 

But  if  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sherborne  the  Dane» 


THE   SAXON    FORT.  Jl 

had  been  severely  repulsed,  in  other  parts  of  the  king- 
dom they  continued  to  make  great  progress,  and  the 
feeling  of  despair  among  the  Saxons  increased.  Great 
numbers  left  their  homes,  and  taking  with  them  all  their 
portable  possessions,  made  their  way  to  the  seacoast, 
and  there  embarked  for  France,  where  they  hoped  to  be 
able  to  live  peaceably  and  quietly. 

Edmund  placed  no  hindrance  in  the  way  of  such  of 
his  people  who  chose  this  course,  for  the  prospect 
appeared  well-nigh  hopeless.  The  majority  of  the 
Saxons  were  utterly  broken  in  spirit,  and  a  complete 
conquest  of  the  kingdom  by  the  Danes  seemed  inevitable. 
In  the  spring,  however,  of  877,  King  Alfred  again  issued 
an  urgent  summons.  A  great  horde  of  Danes  had 
landed  at  Exeter  and  taken  possession  of  that  town,  and 
he  determined  to  endeavor  to  crush  them.  He  sent  to 
Edmund,  begging  him  to  proceed  at  once  to  Poole, 
where  the  king's  fleet  was  ready  for  sea,  and  to  embark 
in  it  with  what  force  he  could  raise,  and  to  sail  and  block- 
ade the  entrance  to  the  river  Exe,  and  so  prevent  the 
Danes  from  re-enforcing  their  countrymen,  while  he 
with  his  forces  laid  siege  to  Exeter. 

Edmund  would  have  taken  his  own  vessel,  but  some 
time  would  have  been  lost,  and  the  king's  ships  were 
short  of  hands.  He  was  not  sorry,  indeed,  that  his  men 
should  have  some  practice  at  sea,  and,  taking  his  own 
band,  in  which  the  vacancies  which  had  been  caused  in 
the  defense  of  the  fort  had  been  filled  up,  he  proceeded  to 
Poole.  Here  he  embarked  his  men  in  one  of  the  ships, 
and  the  fleet,  comprising  twenty  vessels,  put  to  sea. 

The  management  of  the  vessels  and  their  sails  was  in 


92  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

the  hands  of  experienced  sailors,  and  Edmund's  men  had 
no  duties  to  perform  except  to  fight  the  enemy  when 
they  met  them. 

The  news  of  the  siege  of  Exeter  reached  the  Danes  at 
Wareham,  which  was  their  headquarters,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  vessels  filled  with  their  troops  sailed  for 
the  relief  of  Exeter. 

The  weather  was  unpropitious,  heavy  fogs  lay  on  the 
water,  dissipated  occasionally  by  fierce  outbursts  of  wind. 
The  Saxon  fleet  kept  the  sea.  It  was  well  that  for  a  time 
the  Danish  fleet  did  not  appear  in  sight,  for  the  Saxons, 
save  the  sailors,  were  unaccustomed  to  the  water,  and 
many  suffered  greatly  from  the  rough  motion;  and  had 
the  Danes  appeared  for  the  first  week  after  the  fleet  put 
to  sea  a  combat  must  have  been  avoided,  as  the  troops 
were  in  no  condition  to  fight. 

Presently,  however,  they  recovered  from  their  malady 
and  became  eager  to  meet  the  enemy;  Edmund  bade  his 
men  take  part  in  the  working  of  the  ship  in  order  to 
accustom  themselves  to  the  duties  of  seamen.  The  fleet 
did  not  keep  the  sea  all  the  time,  returning  often  to  the 
straits  between  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  the  mainland, 
where  they  lay  in  shelter,  a  lookout  being  kept  from  the 
top  of  the  hills,  whence  a  wide  sweep  of  sea  could  be  seen, 
and  where  piles  of  wood  were  collected  by  which  a  signal 
fire  could  warn  the  fleet  to  put  to  sea,  should  the  enemy's 
vessels  come  in  sight., 

A  full  month  passed  and  the  Saxons  began  to  fear 
that  the  Danes  might  have  eluded  them,  having  per- 
haps been  blown  out  to  sea  and  having  made  the  land 
again  far  to  the  west.  One  morning,  however,  smoke 
was  seen  to  rise  from  the  beacon  fire.    The  crews,  who 


THE    SAXON    FORT,  93 

,were,  on  shore,  instantly  hurried  on  board.  From  the 
hills  the  Danish  fleet  was  made  out  far  to  the  west,  and 
was  seen  to  be  approaching  the  land  from  seaward,  hav- 
ing been  driven  far  out  of  its  course  by  the  winds. 

The  weather  was  wild  and  threatening,  and  the  sailors 
predicted  a  great  storm.  Nevertheless  the  fleet  put  to 
sea  and  with  reefed  sails  ran  to  the  west.  Their  vessels 
were  larger  than  the  Danish  galleys  and  could  better 
keep  the  sea  in  a  storm.  Many  miles  were  passed  be- 
fore, from  the  decks,  the  Danish  flotilla  could  be  seen. 
Presently,  however,  a  great  number  of  their  galleys  were 
discerned,  rowing  in  toward  Swanage  Bay. 

In  spite  of  the  increasing  fury  of  the  wind  the  Saxons 
spread  more  sail,  and  succeeded  in  intercepting  the 
Danes,  A  desperate  fight  began,  but  the  Danes,  in  their 
low,  long  vessels,  had  all  they  could  do  to  keep  afloat  on 
the  waves.  Many  were  run  down  by  the  Saxons.  The 
showers  of  arrows  from  their  lofty  poops  confused  the 
rowers  and  slew  many.  Sweeping  along  close  to  them, 
they  often  broke  off  the  oars  and  disabled  them.  Some- 
times two  or  three  of  the  Danish  galleys  would  try  to 
close  with  a  Saxon  ship,  but  the  sea  was  too  rough  for 
the  boats  to  remain  alongside  while  the  men  tried  to 
climb  up  the  high  sides,  and  the  Saxons  with  their 
spears  thrust  down  those  who  strove  to  do  so.  Con- 
fusion and  terror  soon  reigned  among  the  Danes,  and, 
fearing  to  try  to  escape  by  sea  in  such  a  storm,  they 
made  for  the  shore,  hotly  pursued  by  the  Saxons. 

But  the  shore  was  even  more  inhospitable  than  their 
foes.  Great  rocks  bordered  the  coast,  and  upon  these 
the  galleys  were  dashed  into  fragments.  The  people  on 
shore  who  had  gathered  at  the  sight  of  the  approaching 


94  THE  DRAGON  AND  THB  RAVEN. 

fleets,  fell  upon  such  of  the  Danes  as  succeeded  in  gain- 
ing the  coast,  and  everyone  who  landed  was  instantly 
slain.  Thus,  partly  from  the  effects  of  the  Saxon  fleet, 
but  still  more  from  that  of  the  storm,  the  whole  of  the 
Danish  fleet  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  vessels  was 
destroyed,  not  a  single  ship  escaping  the  general 
destruction. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    DRAGON. 

The  Danes  at  Exeter,  being  now  cut  off  from  all  hope 
of  relief,  asked  for  terms,  and  the  king  granted  them 
their  lives  on  condition  of  their  promising  to  leave  Wes- 
sex  and  not  to  return.  This  promise  they  swore  by  their 
most  solemn  oaths  to  observe,  and,  marching  northward, 
passed  out  of  Wessex  and  settled  near  Gloucester. 
Some  of  the  Saxons  thought  that  the  king  had  been 
wrong  in  granting  such  easy  terms,  but  he  pointed  out 
to  the  ealdormen  who  remonstrated  with  him  that  there 
were  many  other  and  larger  bands  of  Danes  in  Mercia 
and  Anglia,  and  that  had  he  massacred  the  band  at 
Exeter, — and  this  he  could  not  have  done  without  the 
loss  of  many  men,  as  assuredly  the  Danes  would  have 
fought  desperately  for  their  lives, — ^the  news  of  their 
slaughter  would  have  brought  upon  him  fresh  invasions 
from  all  sides. 

By  this  time  all  resistance  to  the  Danes  in  Mercia  had 
ceased.  Again  and  again  King  Burhred  had  bought 
them  off,  but  this  only  brought  fresh  hordes  down  upon 
him,  and  at  last,  finding  the  struggle  hopeless,  he  had 
gone  as  a  pilgrim  to  Rome,  where  he  had  died.  The 
Danes  acted  in  Mercia  as  they  had  done  in  Northumbria. 
They  did  not  care,  themselves,  to  settle  down  for  any; 
length  of  time,  and  therefore  appointed  a  weak  Saxon 
thane,   Ceolwulf,   as   the   king   of   Mercia.      He   ruled 

95 


96  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

cruelly  and  extorted  large  revenues  from  the  landowners, 
and  robbed  the  monasteries,  which  had  escaped  destruc- 
tion, of  their  treasures. 

The  Danes  suffered  him  to  pursue  this  course  until  he 
had  amassed  great  wealth,  when  they  swooped  down 
upon  him,  robbed  him  of  all  he  possessed,  and  took  away 
the  nominal  kingship  he  had  held.  As  there  was  now 
but  little  fresh  scope  for  plundering  in  England,  many 
of  the  Danes  both  in  Anglia  and  Mercia  settled  down  in 
the  cities  and  on  the  lands  which  they  had  taken  from  the 
Saxons. 

The  Danes  who  had  gone  from  Exeter  were  now 
joined  by  another  band  which  had  landed  in  South 
Wales.  The  latter,  finding  but  small  plunder  was  to  be 
obtained  among  the  mountains  of  that  country,  moved 
to  Gloucester,  and,  joining  the  band  there,  proposed  a 
fresh  invasion  of  Wessex.  The  Danes,  in  spite  of  the 
oaths  they  had  sworn  to  Alfred,  and  the  hostages  they 
had  left  in  his  hands,  agreed  to  the  proposal;  and  early 
in  the  spring  of  878,  the  bands,  swollen  by  re-enforce- 
ments from  Mercia,  marched  into  Wiltshire  and  cap- 
tured the  royal  castle  of  Chippenham  on  the  Avon. 
From  this  point  they  spread  over  the  country  and 
destroyed  everything  with  fire  and  sword.  A  general 
panic  seized  the  inhabitants.  The  better  class,  with  the 
bishops,  priests,  and  monks,  made  for  the  seacoasts  and 
thence  crossed  to  France,  taking  with  them  all  their 
portable  goods,  with  the  relics,  precious  stones,  and  orna- 
ments of  the  churches  and  monasteries. 

Another  party  of  Danes  in  twenty-three  ships  had 
landed  in  Devonshire.  Here  the  ealdorman  Adda  had 
constructed  a  castle  similar  to  that  which  Edmund  had 


THE   DRAGON.  97 

built.  It  was  fortified  by  nature  on  three  sides  and 
had  a  strong  rampart  of  earth  on  another.  The  Danes 
tried  to  starve  out  the  defenders  of  the  fort;  but  the 
Saxons  held  out  for  a  long  time,  although  sorely  pressed 
by  want  of  water.  At  last  they  sallied  out  one  morning 
at  daybreak  and  fell  upon  the  Danes  and  utterly  defeated 
them,  only  a  few  stragglers  regaining  their  ships. 

A  thousand  Danes  are  said  to  have  been  slain  at  Kyn- 
with ;  but  this  was  an  isolated  success ;  in  all  other  parts 
of  the  kingdom  panic  appeared  to  have  taken  possession 
of  the  West  Saxons.  Those  who  could  not  leave  the 
country  retired  to  the  woods,  and  thence,  when  the  Danes 
had  passed  by,  leaving  ruin  and  desolation  behind  them, 
they  sallied  out  and  again  began  to  till  the  ground  as 
best  they  could.  Thus,  for  a  time  the  West  Saxons, 
formerly  so  valiant  and  determined,  sank  to  the  condi- 
tion of  serfs;  for  when  all  resistance  ceased  the  Danes 
were  well  pleased  to  see  the  ground  tilled,  as  otherwise 
they  would  speedily  have  run  short  of  stores. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  invasion  Edmund  had 
marched  out  with  his  band  and  had  inflicted  heavy  blows 
upon  parties  of  plunderers;  but  he  soon  perceived  that 
the  struggle  was  hopeless.  He  therefore  returned  to 
Sherborne  and,  collecting  such  goods  as  he  required  and 
a  good  store  of  provisions,  he  marched  to  the  place 
where  the  ship  had  been  hidden.  No  wandering  band  of 
Danes  had  passed  that  way,  and  the  bushes  with  which 
she  had  been  covered  were  undisturbed.  These  were 
soon  removed  and  a  passage  three  feet  deep,  and  wide 
enough  for  the  ship  to  pass  through,  was  dug  from  the 
deep  hole  in  which  she  was  lying  to  the  river. 

When  the  last  barrier  was  cut  the  water  poured  in, 


98  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

and  the  Saxons  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  vessel 
rise  gradually  until  the  water  in  the  dock  was  level  with 
that  in  the  river.  Then  she  was  taken  out  into  the 
stream,  the  stores  and  fittings  placed  aboard,  and  she  was 
poled  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Egbert  had  gone 
before  and  had  already  engaged  fifteen  sturdy  sailors  to 
go  with  them.  The  Danes  had  not  yet  reached  the  sea- 
coast  from  the  interior,  and  there  was  therefore  no  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  the  various  equipments  necessary.  In 
a  week  her  masts  were  up  and  her  sails  in  position. 

The  Dragon,  as  she  was  called,  excited  great  admira- 
tion at  the  port,  all  saying  that  she  was  the  finest  and 
largest  ship  that  had  ever  been  seen  there.  While  her 
fitting  out  had  been  going  on  she  was  hove  up  on  shore 
and  received  several  coats  of  paint.  Edmund  was  loath 
to  start  on  his  voyage  without  again  seeing  the  king,  but 
no  one  knew  where  Alfred  now  was;  he,  on  finding  the 
struggle  hopeless,  having  retired  to  the  fastnesses  of 
Somerset  to  await  the  time  when  the  Saxons  should  be 
driven  by  oppression  again  to  take  up  arms. 

At  last  all  was  ready,  and  the  Dragon  put  out  to  sea. 
She  was  provided  with  oars  as  well  as  sails,  but  these 
were  only  to  be  used  when  in  pursuit,  or  when  flying 
from  a  superior  enemy.  As  soon  as  she  had  been 
long  enough  at  sea  to  enable  the  band  again  to  recover 
from  the  effects  of  sickness,  the  oars  were  got  out  and 
the  men  practiced  in  their  use. 

As  in  the  models  from  which  she  had  been  built,  she 
rowed  two  banks  of  oars,  the  one  worked  by  men  upon 
deck,  the  others  through  small  portholes.  The  latter 
could  only  be  used  when  the  weather  was  fine;  when 
the  sea  was  high  they  were  closed  up  and  fastened.    The 


THE  DRAGON.  99 

lower-deck  oars  were  each  rowed  by  one  man,  while  the 
upper  bank,  which  was  longer  and  heavier,  had  each 
two  men  to  work  it. 

Before  starting  Edmund  had  increased  the  strength 
of  his  band  to  ninety  men,  that  number  being  required 
for  the  oars,  of  which  the  Dragon  had  fifteen  on  each 
bank  on  each  side.  At  first  there  was  terrible  splashing 
and  confusion,  but  in  time  the  men  learned  to  row  in 
order,  and  in  three  weeks  after  putting  to  sea  the  oars 
worked  well  in  time  together,  and  the  Dragon,  with  her 
ninety  rowers,  moved  through  the  water  at  a  great  rate 
of  speed. 

During  this  time  she  had  never  been  far  from  land, 
keeping  but  a  short  distance  from  the  port  from  which 
she  had  sailed,  as  Edmund  did  not  wish  to  fall  in  with  the 
Danes  until  his  crew  were  able  to  maneuver  her  with 
the  best  effect.  When,  at  last,  satisfied  that  all  knew 
their  duty,  he  returned  to  port,  took  in  a  fresh  supply  of 
provisions,  and  then  sailed  away  again  in  search  of  the 
enemy.  He  coasted  along  the  shore  of  Hampshire  and 
Sussex  without  seeing  a  foe,  and  then,  sailing  round 
Kent,  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Thames.  The  Dragon 
kept  on  her  way  until  she  reached  the  point  where  the 
river  begins  to  narrow,  and  there  the  sails  were  furled 
and  the  anchor  thrown  overboard  to  wait  for  Danish 
galleys  coming  down  the  river. 

On  the  third  day  after  they  had  anchored  they  per- 
ceived four  black  specks  in  the  distance,  and  these  the 
sailors  soon  declared  to  be  Danish  craft.  They  were 
rowing  rapidly,  having  ten  oars  on  either  side,  and  at 
their  masthead  floated  the  Danish  Raven.  The  anchor 
was  got  up,  and  as  the  Danes  approached,  the  Gk>lden 


lOO  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Dragon,  the  standard  of  Wessex,  was  run  up  to  the  mast- 
head, the  sails  were  hoisted,  the  oars  got  out,  and  the 
vessel  advanced  to  meet  the  approaching  Danes. 

These  for  a  moment  stopped  rowing  in  astonishment 
at  seeing  so  large  a  ship  bearing  the  Saxon  flag.  Then 
they  at  once  began  to  scatter  in  different  directions;  but 
the  Dragon,  impelled  both  by  the  wind  and  her  sixty 
oars,  rapidly  overtook  them.  When  close  alongside  the 
galley  nearest  to  them  the  men  on  the  upper  deck,  at 
an  order  from  Edmund,  ran  in  their  oars,  and  seizing 
their  bows  poured  a  volley  of  arrows  into  the  galley,  kill- 
ing most  of  the  rowers.  Then  the  Dragon  was  steered 
alongside,  and  the  Saxons,  sword  in  hand,  leaped  down 
into  the  galley.  Most  of  the  Danes  were  cut  down  at 
once ;  the  rest  plunged  into  the  water  and  swam  for  their 
lives.  Leaving  the  deserted  galley  behind,  the  Dragon 
continued  the  pursuit  of  the  others,  and  overtook  and 
captured  another  as  easily  as  she  had  done  the  first. 

The  other  two  boats  reached  the  shore  before  they 
were  overtaken,  and  those  on  board,  leaping  out,  fled. 
The  Saxons  took  possession  of  the  deserted  galleys. 
They  found  them,  as  they  expected,  stored  full  of  plunder 
of  all  kinds — rich  wearing  apparel,  drinking  goblets, 
massive  vessels  of  gold  and  silver  which  had  been  torn 
from  some  desecrated  altar,  rich  ornaments  and  jewels 
and  other  articles.  These  were  at  once  removed  to  the 
Dragon.  Fire  was  applied  to  the  boats,  and  they  were 
soon  a  mass  of  flames.  Then  the  Dragon  directed  her 
course  to  the  two  galleys  she  had  first  captured.  These 
were  also  rifled  of  their  contents  and  burned.  The 
Saxons  were  delighted  at  the  success  which  had  attended 
their  first  adventure. 


THE   DRAGON.  lOT 

"  We  shall  have  rougher  work  next  time,"  Egbert 
said.  "  The  Danes  who  escaped  will  carry  news  to  Lon- 
don, and  we  shall  be  having  a  whole  fleet  down  to  attack 
us  in  a  few  days." 

"  If  they  are  in  anything  like  reasonable  numbers  we 
will  fight  them;  if  not,  we  can  run.  We  have  seen  to- 
day how  much  faster  we  are  than  the  Danish  boats;  and 
though  I  shall  be  in  favor  of  fighting  if  we  have  a  fair 
chance  of  success,  it  would  be  folly  to  risk  the  success  of 
our  enterprise  by  contending  against  overwhelming 
numbers  at  the  outset,  seeing  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
pick  up  so  many  prizes  round  the  coast." 

"  We  can  beat  a  score  of  them,"  Egbert  grumbled. 
"  I  am  in  favor  of  fighting  the  Danes  whenever  we  see 
them." 

"  When  there  is  a  hope  of  success,  Egbert,  yes ;  but 
you  know  even  the  finest  bull  can  be  pulled  down  by  a 
pack  of  dogs.  The  Dragon  is  a  splendid  ship,  and  does 
credit  alike  to  King  Alfred's  first  advice,  to  the  plans  of 
the  Italian  shipbuilders,  and  to  the  workmanship  and 
design  of  the  shipwright  of  Exeter,  and  I  hope  she  will 
long  remain  to  be  a  scourge  to  the  Danes  at  sea  as  they 
have  been  a  scourge  to  the  Saxons  on  shore;  and  it  is 
because  I  hope  she  is  going  to  do  such  good  service  to 
England  that  I  would  be  careful  of  her.  You  must 
remember,  too,  that  many  of  the  Danish  galleys  are  far 
larger  than  those  we  had  to  do  with  to-day.  We  are 
not  going  to  gobble  them  all  up  as  a  pike  swallows 
minnows." 

The  Dragon  had  now  anchored  again,  and  four  days 
elapsed  before  any  Danish  galleys  were  seen.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  six  large  Danish  war  ships  were  per- 


XOa  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

ceived  in  the  distance.  Edmund  and  Egbert  from  the 
top  of  the  lofty  poop  watched  them  coming. 

"  They  row  thirty  oars  each  side,"  Egbert  said,  "  and 
are  crowded  with  men.  What  say  you,  Edmund,  shall 
we  stop  and  fight  them,  or  shall  the  Dragon  spread  her 
wings?  " 

"  We  have  the  advantage  of  height,"  Edmund  said, 
"  and  from  our  bow  and  stern  castles  can  shoot  down 
into  them;  but  if  they  lie  alongside  and  board  us  their 
numbers  will  give  them  an  imn^iense  advantage.  I 
should  think  that  we  might  run  down  one  or  two  of 
them.  The  Dragon  is  much  more  strongly  built  than 
these  galleys  of  the  Danes,  and  if,  when  they  close  round 
us,  we  have  the  oars  lashed  on  both  sides  as  when  we  are 
rowing,  it  will  be  next  to  impossible  for  them  to  get 
alongside  except  at  the  stern  and  bow,  which  are  far 
too  high  for  them  to  climb." 

"  Very  well,"  Egbert  said,  "  if  you  are  ready  to  fight, 
you  may  be  sure  I  am." 

The  anchor  was  got  up  and  the  oars  manned,  and  the 
Dragon  quietly  advanced  toward  the  Danish  boats.  The 
men  were  instructed  to  row  slowly,  and  it  was  not  until 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  leading  galley  that  the 
order  was  given  to  row  hard. 

The  men  strained  at  the  tough  oars,  and  the  Dragon 
leaped  ahead  to  meet  the  foe.  Her  bow  was  pointed  as 
if  she  would  have  passed  close  by  the  side  of  the  Danish 
galley,  which  was  crowded  with  men.  When  close  to 
her,  however,  the  helmsman  pushed  the  tiller  across  and 
the  Dragon  swept  straight  down  upon  her.  A  shout  of 
dismay  rose  from  the  Danes,  a  hasty  volley  of  arrows 
and  darts  was  hurled  at  the  Dragon,  and  the  helms- 


THE   DRAGON.  IO3 

man  strove  to  avoid  the  collision,  but  in  vain.  The 
Dragon  struck  her  on  the  beam,  the  frail  craft  broke  up 
like  an  eggshell  under  the  blow,  and  sank  almost 
instantly  under  the  bows  of  the  Dragon. 

Without  heeding  the  men  struggling  thickly  in  the 
water,  the  Dragon  continued  her  course.  Warned  by 
the  fate  of  the  first  boat,  the  next  endeavored  to  avoid 
her  path.  Her  commander  shouted  orders.  The  rowers 
on  one  side  backed  while  those  on  the  other  pulled,  but 
she  was  not  quite  quick  enough.  The  Dragon  struck 
her  a  few  feet  from  the  stem,  cutting  her  in  two. 

The  other  galleys  now  closed  in  alongside.  The 
Saxons  hastily  fastened  their  oars  as  they  had  been  row- 
ing and  then  betook  themselves  to  their  posts,  those 
with  spears  and  swords  to  the  sides  to  prevent  the  enemy 
from  climbing  up,  the  archers  to  the  lofty  castles  at 
either  end.  The  Danes  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
getting  alongside,  the  oars  keeping  the  galleys  at  a  dis- 
tance. For  some  time  the  combat  was  conducted 
entirely  by  the  archers  on  both  sides,  the  Danes  suffer- 
ing much  the  most  heavily,  as  the  Saxons  were  protected 
by  the  bulwarks,  while  from  their  lofty  positions  they 
were  enabled  to  fire  down  into  the  galleys. 

At  last  one  of  the  Danish  vessels  rowed  straight  at 
the  broadside  of  the  Dragon,  and  breaking  her  way 
through  the  oars,  her  bow  reached  the  side.  Then  the 
Danes  strove  to  leap  on  board,  but  the  Saxons  pursued 
the  tactics  which  had  succeeded  so  well  on  land,  and 
forming  in  a  close  mass  where  the  Danish  vessel  touched 
the  Dragon  opposed  a  thick  hedge  of  spears  to  those  who 
strove  to  board  her. 

The    Danes    fought    desperately.     Several     notable 


I04  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

leaders,  hearing  that  a  great  Saxon  ship  had  appeared 
on  the  Thames,  had  come  down  to  capture  her,  and  lead- 
ing their  followers,  strove  desperately  to  cut  their  way 
on  to  the  deck  of  the  Dragon.  Taking  advantage  of  the 
strife,  the  other  galleys  repeated  the  maneuver  which 
had  succeeded,  and  each  in  turn  ran  their  stem  through 
the  Saxon  oars  and  reached  the  side  of  the  Dragon. 
In  this  position,  however,  they  had  the  immense  disad- 
vantage that  only  a  few  men  at  once  could  strive  to 
board,  while  the  Saxons  were  able,  to  oppose  all  their 
strength  at  these  four  points. 

For  a  time  the  Saxons  repulsed  every  effort,  but  as 
the  lashings  of  the  oars  gave  way  under  the  pressure  of 
the  Danish  ships,  these  drifted  alongside,  and  they  were 
thus  able  to  attack  along  the  whole  length  of  the  bul- 
warks between  the  castles.  The  Saxons  were  now  hard 
put  to  it,  but  their  superior  height  still  enabled  them  to 
keep  the  Danes  in  check. 

All  this  time  the  five  vessels  had  been  drifting  down 
the  river  together.  Presently,  when  the  conflict  was 
hottest,  the  chief  of  the  sailors  made  his  way  to  Edmund. 

"  If  we  get  up  the  sails  we  may  be  able  to  draw  out 
from  the  galleys." 

"  Do  so,"  Edmund  said,  "  and  at  once,  for  we  are 
hard  pressed ;  they  are  four  to  one  against  us." 

The  sailors  at  once  sprang  to  the  halyards,  and  soon 
the  great  sail  rose  on  the  mast.  Almost  instantly  the 
Dragon  began  to  glide  away  from  the  galleys.  The 
Danes  with  ropes  endeavored  to  lash  themselves  to  her 
sides,  but  these  were  severed  as  fast  as  thrown,  and  in 
two  or  three  minutes  the  Dragon  had  drawn  herself  clear 
of  them.    The  Danes  betook  themselves  to  their  oars, 


THE   DRAGON.  105 

but  many  of  these  had  been  broken  between  the  vessels, 
and  rowing  their  utmost  they  could  only  just  keep  up 
with  the  Dragon,  for  the  wind  was  blowing  freely.  Fully, 
half  the  oars  of  the  Dragon  were  broken,  but  the  rest 
were  soon  manned,  and  she  then  rapidly  drew  away  from 
her  pursuers. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  run  further,"  Edmund  said. 
"  Now  that  we  have  once  shaken  them  off,  let  us  turn 
and  meet  them  again." 

As  the  vessel's  head  was  brought  up  into  the  wind  the 
Danes  ceased  rowing.  The  fate  which  had  befallen  their 
two  galleys  at  the  commencement  of  the  fight  was  still 
before  them.  They  had  lost  great  numbers  of  men  in 
the  attempt  to  board  from  the  Saxon  pikes  and  arrows, 
and  their  desire  to  renew  the  fight  vanished  when  they 
saw  that  the  Saxons  were  equally  ready.  Therefore,  as 
the  Dragon  approached  them,  they  sheered  off  on  either 
side  of  her  and  rowed  for  the  mouth  of  the  Medway. 

The  Saxons  did  not  pursue.  They  had  lost  eight  men 
killed,  and  had  seventeen  wounded  by  the  Danish  arrows, 
and  were  well  content  to  be  quit  of  their  opponents,  upon 
whom  they  had  inflicted  a  severe  blow,  as  each  of  the 
galleys  sunk  had  contained  fully  a  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
and  great  numbers  of  the  Danes  on  board  the  other  ships 
had  fallen. 

They  now  left  the  Thames  and  sailed  to  Sandwich. 
The  town  had  been  shortly  before  burned  by  the  Danes, 
but  these  had  left,  and  some  of  the  inhabitants  had  re- 
turned. Here  the  Dragon  waited  for  a  week,  by  the 
end  of  which  time  the  traces  of  the  conflict  had  been 
obliterated,  and  new  oars  made.  Edmund  found  no 
difficulty  in  filling  up  the  vacancies  caused  in  the  fight, 


I06  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

as  many  of  the  young  Saxons  were  burning  to  avenge 
the  sufferings  which  the  Danes  had  inflicted,  and  could 
have  obtained  several  times  the  number  he  required  had 
there  been  room  for  them.  He  was  therefore  enabled  to 
pick  out  sturdy  fellows  accustomed  to  the  sea.  When 
the  Dragon  again  set  sail  her  head  was  laid  to  the  north- 
ward, as  Edmund  intended  to  cruise  off  East  Anglia, 
from  whose  shores  fleets  were  constantly  crossing  and 
recrossing  to  Denmark. 

They  picked  up  several  prizes  at  the  mouths  of  the 
eastern  rivers,  scarcely  having  to  strike  a  blow,  so  sur- 
prised were  the  Danes  at  the  appearance  of  the  great 
Saxon  galley.  Whenever  the  Danes  surrendered  with- 
out resistance  Edmund  gave  them  quarter  and  landed 
them  in  small  boats  on  the  shore;  their  ships,  after  being 
emptied  of  the  booty  they  contained,  were  burned. 
When  off  Yarmouth,  where  they  had  captured  four 
Danish  vessels  sailing  out  unsuspicious  of  danger,  the 
wind  veered  round  to  the  northeast  and  began  to  blow 
very  strongly. 

The  long  line  of  sand  banks  off  the  coast  broke  some- 
what the  violence  pf  the  sea,  and  the  Dragon  rode  all 
night  to  her  anchors;  but  in  the  morning  the  wind  con- 
tinued to  rise.  The  sea  became  more  and  more  violent, 
and  the  anchors  began  to  drag.  Edmund  and  Egbert, 
after  a  consultation,  agreed  that  their  only  chance  of  sav- 
ing the  vessel  was  to  enter  the  river.  The  tide  was  run- 
ning in,  but  the  sea  was  so  heavy  on  the  bar  of  the  river 
that  the  efforts  of  the  crew  at  the  oars  barely  sufficed  to 
'keep  her  on  her  course.  At  length,  however,  she  made 
her  way  safely  between  the  posts  which  marked  the 
entrance,  and,  rowing  up  until  they  passed  a  turn  and 


THE   DRAGON:  I<yj 

were  sheltered  from  the  force  of  the  gale,  they  again 
anchored. 

The  oars  were  all  lashed  out  firmly  to  keep  any  boats 
from  approaching  her  sides.  Bales  of  the  goods  with 
which  her  hold  was  filled  were  brought  on  deck,  and 
piled  high  along  the  bulwarks  so  as  to  afford  a  shelter 
from  missiles.  Even  as  they  entered  the  harbor  num- 
bers of  Danes  had  assembled  at  the  point;  for  the  cap- 
ture and  destruction  of  their  ships  had  of  course  been 
seen,  and  the  crews  set  ashore  had  spread  the  news  that 
the  strange  vessel  was  a  Saxon.  The  Norfolk  bank 
being  somewhat  higher  than  the  Suffolk,  the  boat  was 
anchored  rather  nearer  to  the  latter,  as  it  was  from  the 
town  of  Yarmouth  that  an  attack  was  anticipated. 

As  soon  as  the  anchors  were  let  go  the  Danes  began 
to  fire  their  arrows;  but  so  powerful  was  the  gale  that 
the  greater  part  of  them  were  swept  far  away.  As  the 
day  went  on  the  numbers  of  Danes  on  the  bank  increased 
largely,  and  vast  numbers  of  arrows  were  discharged  at 
the  Dragon.  The  crew  kept  under  shelter,  and  although 
she  was  often  struck  no  damage  was  done. 

In  the  afternoon  a  fleet  of  galleys  was  seen  coming 
down  the  river.  The  Danes  possessed  a  large  number  of 
these  boats  at  Yarmouth,  and  in  these  they  navigated  the 
inland  waters  far  into  the  interior.  The  wind  had  shifted 
until  it  was  blowing  nearly  due  east,  and  Edmund  and 
Egbert  had  agreed  upon  the  best  course  to  be  pursued. 
In  case  of  attack  they  could  hardly  hope  finally  to  beat 
off  the  assault  of  a  large  fleet  of  galleys,  and  would  be- 
sides be  exposed  to  attack  by  boats  laden  with  com- 
bustibles. Therefore,  as  soon  as  the  galleys  were  seen 
approaching,   the   oars   were   unlashed,   the   great   sail 


Io8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

hoisted,  and  at  her  best  speed  the  Dragon  advanced  up 
the  river  to  meet  her  foes.  The  Danes  gave  a  shout  of 
alarm  as  the  vessel  advanced  to  meet  them  with  the  water 
surging  in  a  white  wave  from  her  bows,  and  the  greater 
part  of  them  hurried  toward  one  bank  or  the  other  to 
escape  the  shock.  Some,  slower  in  movement  or  stouter 
in  heart,  awaited  the  attack,  while  from  all  a  storm  of 
missiles  was  poured  upon  the  advancing  boat. 

Heedless  of  these  she  continued  her  way.  Her  sharp 
bow  crashed  right  through  the  side  of  the  Danish  boats, 
and  having  destroyed  seven  of  them  on  her  way  she 
passed  through  the  flotilla  and  continued  her  course. 
The  dragon  waved  triumphantly  from  her  mast  as  she 
passed  under  the  walls  of  Yarmouth.  These  were 
crowded  with  Danes,  who  vainly  showered  arrows  and 
javelins  as  she  flew  past,  with  the  fleet  of  galleys  rowing 
in  her  wake.  A  few  minutes,  and  she  was  out  on  the 
broad  sheet  of  water  beyond.  The  Danish  galleys 
paused  at  the  entrance.  In  so  wild  a  storm  they  would 
have  had  difficulty  in  keeping  their  boats  straight,  while 
the  great  galley  with  her  sails  and  oars  would  be  able  to 
maneuver  freely,  ^nd  could  strike  and  run  them  down 
one  by  one. 

"  What  is  that  pile  of  buildings  on  the  rising  knoll  of 
ground  some  three  miles  away?  "  Edmund  asked. 

"  It  is  Bamborough  Castle,"  Egbert  replied,  "  a 
Roman  stronghold  of  immense  strength." 

"  Let  us  run  up  thither,"  Edmund  said.  "  If,  as  is 
likely  enough,  it  is  unoccupied,  we  will  land  there  and 
take  possession.     Are  the  walls  complete?  " 

"  Assuredly  they  are,"  Egbert  said.  "  They  are  of 
marvelous  strength,  such  as  we  cannot  build  in  our  days. 


THE   DRAGON.  IO9 

They  run  in  a  great  semicircle  from  the  edge  of  the  water 
round  the  crest  of  the  knoll  and  down  again  to  the  water. 
There  is  but  one  gateway  in  the  wall  on  the  land  side, 
and  this  we  can  block  up.  We  need  not  fear  an  attack 
from  the  land,  for  between  the  river  and  the  castle  there 
are  wide  swamps ;  so  that,  unless  they  row  up  and  attack 
us  from  the  water,  we  are  safe." 

"  I  think  that  they  will  not  do  that,"  Edmund  said, 
"  after  the  taste  which  the  Dragon  has  given  them  of  her 
quality.  At  any  rate,  I  think  we  are  safe  till  the  storm 
abates." 

By  this  time,  running  rapidly  before  the  wind,  the 
Dragon  was  approaching  the  great  Roman  fort,  whose 
massive  walls  struck  Edmund  with  astonishment.  No 
one  was  to  be  seen  moving  about  in  the  space  inclosed  by 
them.  The  sail  was  lowered  and  the  vessel  brought  to 
the  bank.  The  anchors  were  taken  ashore,  and  she  was 
soon  solidly  moored.  Then  the  crew  leaped  on  to  the 
land  and  ascended  the  banks  to  the  great  level  inclosure. 

The  walls  were,  as  Egbert  had  said,  intact — and  indeed, 
except  on  the  side  facing  the  river,  remain  almost  un- 
broken to  the  present  day.  An  hour's  labor  sufficed  to 
block  the  gateway  where  a  pair  of  massive  doors  were  in 
position,  for  the  place  had  been  defended  by  the  Saxons 
against  the  Danes  at  their  first  landing  on  the  coast.  A 
few  men  were  placed  as  sentries  on  the  walls,  and,  feeling 
now  perfectly  safe  from  any  attack  on  the  land  side, 
Edmund  and  his  followers  returned  on  board  the  Dragon 
for  the  night. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    CRUISE    OF    THE    DRAGON. 

The  night  passed  without  alarm.  The  gale  continued 
to  blow  with  fury,  and  until  it  abated  Edmund  had  little 
fear  that  the  Danes  would  venture  upon  an  attack.  They 
had  indeed  no  reason  for  haste.  Th^  Saxon  vessel  was 
in  their  waters,  and  could  not  return  so  long  as  the 
storm  continued  to  blow  from  the  east.  The  next  day 
parties  of  Danes  were  seen  making  their  way  across  the 
swampy  country  from  the  direction  of  Yarmouth. 

As  soon,  however,  as  these  approached  near  enough 
to  see  the  Saxons  in  readiness  on  the  walls  of  the  castle 
they  retired  at  once,  knowing  that  the  place  could  be 
captured  by  nothing  short  of  a  prolonged  and  desperate 
siege.  On  the  fourth  day  the  storm  abated,  and  the 
Saxons  prepared  to  make  their  way  seaward  again.  The 
wind  still  blew,  but  lightly,  from  the  same  quarter,  and 
the  sails  would  therefore  be  of  no  use.  With  their  great 
oar  power  they  were  confident  that,  once  through  the 
Danish  flotilla,  they  could  defy  pursuit. 

Accordingly  they  again  embarked,  and  loosing  their 
moorings  rowed  down  toward  Yarmouth.  They  had 
chosen  a  time  when  the  tide  was  running  in ;  for  although 
this  would  hinder  their  progress  it  would  equally  impede 
their  pursuers,  while  it  would  enable  them  to  check  their 
vessel  in  time,  did  they  find  any  unforeseen  obstacle  in 
their  way.     They  entered  the  river  and  rowed  along 


THE   CRUISE    OF    THE   DRAGON.  II\ 

quietly  until  they  neared  the  walls  of  the  town.  Here 
the  river  was  at  its  narrowest,  and  they  saw  the  Danish 
galleys  gathered  thickly  in  the  stream. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  were  on  the  forecastle,  and 
presently  gave  the  signal  for  the  men  to  cease  rowing. 

"It  is  just  as  I  expected,"  Egbert  said;  "they  have 
formed  a  boom  across  the  river  of  trunks  of  trees  and 
beams  lashed  together.  We  cannot  make  our  way 
down  until  that  obstacle  is  removed.  What  say  you, 
Edmund?  " 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  Edmund  replied. 

"  We  had  best  keep  along  close  to  the  right  bank  until 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  boom;  then  we  must  land 
the  greater  part  of  our  men.  These  must  march  along 
the  bank  in  their  phalanx;  the  others  must  keep  the 
boat  moving  close  alongside,  and  from  the  forecastle 
they  will  be  able  to  fire  down  upon  the  Danes  and  aid 
those  on  shore  to  drive  them  back  and  make  their  way  to 
the  end  of  the  boom.  They  have  but  to  cut  the  lashings 
there  and  the  whole  will  swing  round.  But  now  we  see 
the  nature  of  the  obstacle,  and  what  is  to  be  done,  it  were 
best  to  wait  until  the  tide  turns.  In  the  first  place,  fewer 
men  will  be  needed  on  board  the  ship,  as  she  will  advance 
by  herself  abreast  of  the  men  on  shore.  In  the  second 
place,  when  the  lashing  is  cut,  the  boom  will  then  swing 
down  the  stream,  will  cause  confusion  among  the  boats 
behind  it,  and  will  open  a  clear  space  for  us  to  make  our 
way  down." 

.  Edmund  agreed,  a  light  anchor  was  dropped,  and  the 
Dragon  rode  quietly  in  the  stream.  Great  animation 
was  evident  among  the  Danes,  large  numbers  crossed  the 
river,  and  a  strong  force  gathered  at  either  end  of  the 


IIS  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

boom  and  in  boats  close  behind  it,  to  prevent  the  Saxons 
from  attempting  to  cut  the  lashings.  There  was  little 
uneasiness  on  board  the  Dragon,  the  Saxons  were  con- 
fident now  of  the  power  of  their  close  formation  to  force 
its  way  through  any  number  of  the  enemy,  and  they 
would  gain  such  assistance  from  the  fire  from  the  lofty 
forecastle  that  they  doubted  not  that  they  should  be  able 
to  drive  back  the  Danes  and  destroy  the  boom.  In  an 
hour  the  tide  no  longer  rose.  They  Weiited  till  it  ran 
down  with  full  force,  then  the  anchor  was  hauled  up,  and 
the  Dragon  rowed  to  the  bank. 

Sixty  of  the  fighting  men,  headed  by  Egbert,  leaped  on 
shore.  Edmund  with  the  remainder  took  his  place  on 
the  forecastle.  The  oars  next  to  the  bank  were  drawn 
in,  and  some  of  those  on  the  outward  side  manned  by  the 
sailors.  Then  in  its  usual  order  the  phalanx  moved 
slowly  forward  while  the  ship  floated  along  beside  them 
close  to  the  bank.  The  Danes  with  loud  shouts  ad- 
vanced to  meet  them,  and  the  arrows  soon  began  to  fly 
thickly.  Covered  by  the  long  shields  of  the  front  rank 
the  Saxons  moved  forward  steadily,  while,  as  the  Danes 
approached,  the  archers  on  the  forecastle  opened  a 
destructive  fire  upon  them. 

The  confidence  of  the  Saxons  was  justified,  for  the 
combat  was  never  in  doubt.  Although  the  Northmen 
fought  bravely,  they  were  unable  to  withstand  the  steady 
advance  of  the  wedge  of  spears,  and  very  many  fell 
beneath  the  rain  of  arrows  from  above.  Steadily  the 
wedge  made  its  way  until  it  reached  the  end  of  the  boom. 
A  few  blows  with  their  axes  sufficed  to  cut  the  cables 
which  fastened  it  in  its  place.  As  soon  as  this  was  done 
Edmund  gave  a  shout,  and  the  Saxons  at  once  sprang 


THE   CRUISE    OF    THE    DRAGON.  II3 

on  board  the  ship,  which,  before  the  Danes  could  follow 
them,  was  steered  out  into  the  stream. 
•  As  Egbert  had  foreseen,  the  boom,  as  it  swung  round, 
swept  before  it  a  number  of  the  Danish  boats,  and  im- 
prisoned them  between  it  and  the  shore.  The  oars  were 
soon  run  out,  and  while  the  men  on  the  forecastle  con- 
tinued their  fire  at  the  Danish  boats,  the  others,  seizing 
the  oars,  swept  the  Dragon  along  the  stream.  The 
Danes  strove  desperately  to  arrest  her  progress.  Some 
tried  to  run  alongside  and  board,  others  dashed  in  among 
the  oars  and  impeded  the  work  of  the  rowers,  while  from 
the  walls  of  the  town  showers  of  missiles  were  poured 
down  upon  her.  But  the  tide  was  gaining  every  moment 
in  strength,  and  partly  drifting,  partly  rowing,  the 
Dragon,  like  a  bull  attacked  by  a  pack  of  dogs,  made  her 
way  down  the  river.  Every  effort  of  the  Danes  to  board 
was  defeated,  and  many  of  their  boats  sunk,  and  at  last 
she  made  her  way  into  the  open  sea.  There  her  sails 
were  hoisted,  and  she  soon  left  her  pursuers  behind. 
Once  at  sea  her  course  was  again  turned  north,  and,  pick- 
ing up  some  prizes  on  the  way,  she  took  up  her  station 
oflF  the  mouth  of  the  Humber. 

Several  ships  were  captured  as  they  sailed  out  from 
the  river.  After  the  spoil  on  board  was  taken  out,  these, 
instead  of  being  burned,  as  had  always  been  the  case 
before,  were  allowed  to  proceed  on  their  way,  since,  had 
they  been  destroyed,  the  crews  must  either  have  been 
slain  or  landed.  The  first  course  was  repugnant  to 
Edmund,  the  second  could  not  be  adopted,  because  they 
would  have  carried  the  news  to  the  Danes  that  the 
Dragon  was  of?  the  river,  and  no  more  ships  would  have 
put  to  sea;    and  indeed,  so  large  was  the  number  of 


114  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Danish  vessels  always  up  the  Humber  that  a  fleet  could 
easily  have  been  equipped  and  sent  out  before  which  the 
Dragon  must  have  taken  flight. 

One  day  a  large  sailing  ship  was  seen  coming  out. 
The  Dragon  remained  with  lowered  sail  until  she  had 
passed;  then  started  in  pursuit,  and  speedily  came  up 
with  the  Danish  vessel.  Edmund  summoned  her  to  sur- 
render, and  was  answered  by  a  Norseman  of  great  stature 
and  noble  appearance,  who  from  the  poop  hurled  a  jave- 
lin, which  would  have  pierced  Edmund  had  he  not  leaped 
quickly  aside.  A  few  other  darts  were  thrown,  and  then 
the  Dragon  ran  alongside  the  enemy  and  boarded  her. 

The  opposition  of  the  Northmen  was  speedily  beaten 
down,  but  their  leader  desperately  defended  the  ladder 
leading  to  the  poop.  He  was  struck  by  two  arrows,  and 
fell  on  one  knee,  and  Edmund  was  about  to  climb  the 
ladder  when  the  door  of  the  cabin  in  the  poop  opened, 
and  a  Norse  maiden  some  sixteen  years  old  sprang  out. 
Seeing  her  father  wounded  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  and 
the  Saxons  preparing  to  ascend  it,  while  others  turned 
their  bows  against  the  wounded  Northman,  she  sprang 
forward  and,  throwing  herself  upon  her  knees  before 
Edmund,  besought  him  to  spare  her  father's  life.  Ed- 
mund raised  his  hand,  and  the  bows  were  lowered. 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  slay  your  father,  maiden,"  he  said 
gently;  "we  slay  only  those  who  resist,  and  resistance 
on  the  part  of  a  single  man,  and  he  wounded,  against  a 
whole  ship's  crew,  is  madness.  We  are  no  sea  wolves 
who  slay  for  the  pleasure  of  slaying,  but  are  Saxons,  who 
fight  for  our  country  against  the  oppressions  and  rapine 
of  your  people.  Little  right  have  they  to  mercy,  seeing 
they  show  none;  but  our  religion  enjoins  us  to  have  pity 


THE   CRUISE   OF    THE    DRAGON.  llj 

even  upon  our  enemies.  You  had  best  ascend  to  your 
father  and  see  to  his  wounds;  none  will  harm  you  or 
him." 

The  girl,  with  an  exclamation  of  thanks,  sprang  up 
the  ladder.  Edmund  superintended  the  searching  of 
the  ship.  She  contained  a  great  stare  of  valuables, 
which  were  speedily  transferred  to  the  Dragon.  When 
this  had  been  done  Edmund  ascended  to  the  poop.  The 
jarl  was  sitting  in  a  great  chair  placed  there.  Edmund 
had  already  learned  from  the  crew  that  he  was  Jarl  Sieg- 
bert,  a  noted  leader  of  the  Northmen.  His  daughter 
had  drawn  out  the  arrows  and  bandaged  the  wounds. 

"  Jarl  Siegbert,"  Edmund  said  as  he  approached  him, 
"  you  have  been  a  bitter  enemy  of  the  Saxons,  and  small 
mercy  have  you  shown  to  those  who  have  fallen  into 
your  hands ;  but  learn  now  that  we  Christian  Saxons  take 
no  vengeance  on  a  defenseless  foe.  You  are  free  to 
pursue  your  voyage  with  your  daughter  and  your  ship 
to  Norway.  Your  stores  we  have  made  free  with,  seeing 
that  they  are  all  plunder  taken  from  the  Saxons,  and  we 
do  but  reclaim  our  own." 

"  And  who  are  you,  young  sir?  "  the  jarl  asked. 

"  I  am  one  of  King  Alfred's  ealdormen  of  Wessex, 
Edmund  by  name." 

"  I  have  heard  of  you,"  the  Dane  said,  "  as  one  who 
has  taught  the  Saxons  new  tactics,  fighting  in  a  close 
body  which  has  more  than  once  pierced  our  lines  and 
caused  our  overthrow;  but  you  are  a  mere  lad." 

"  I  am  young,"  Edmund  replied,  "  and  had  it  not  been 
for  the  invasion  and  oppressions  of  your  countrymen, 
might  have  still  accounted  myself  as  scarce  a  man,  but 
you  have  made  warriors  of  every  West  Saxon  capable  c4 


Il6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

bearing  a  sword.  Remember,  jari,  that  your  life  has 
been  in  Saxon  hands,  and  that  they  have  spared  it,  so 
come  not  hither  to  our  shores  again." 

"  I  purpose  not  doing  so,"  the  Northman  replied.  "  I 
have  seen  enough  of  stricken  fields,  and  was  returning 
to  my  own  country  to  hang  up  my  sword,  content  with 
the  fame  I  have  gained,  until  Wodin  called  me  to  join 
his  warriors  and  feast  in  his  halls.  Since  we  may  not 
meet  there,  young  Saxon — for  they  say  that  you  Chris- 
tians look  to  a  place  where  arms  will  be  laid  aside  and 
the  sound  of  feasting  be  unheard — I  will  say  farewell. 
For  myself,  I  thank  you  not  for  my  life,  for  I  would 
rather  have  died  as  I  have  lived,  with  my  sword  in  my 
hand;  but  for  my  daughter's  sake  I  thank  you,  for  she 
is  but  young  to  be  left:  unprotected  in  the  world." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  Danish  vessel  continued  on 
her  way,  and  the  Dragon  again  took  her  station  on  the 
lookout.  She  was  now  deep  in  the  water,  and  after  pick- 
ing up  one  or  two  more  small  prizes,  Edmund  and 
Egbert  determined  to  return  home. 

It  was  probable  that  the  Danes  would  soon  take  the 
alarm  and  dispatch  a  fleet  to  attack  them.  Laden  down 
as  the  Dragon  was,  her  speed  under  oars  was  materially 
affected,  and  it  was  advisable  to  store  away  their  booty 
before  proceeding  with  further  adventures.  Her  head 
was  turned  south,  and  she  coasted  down  the  eastern 
shores  of  England  without  adventure.  Several  Danish 
vessels  were  seen  arriving  at  or  quitting  the  coast,  but  the 
Dragon  continued  her  course  without  heeding  them,  and, 
rounding  the  Forelands,  sailed  along  the  south  coast  and 
made  her  way  up  the  Parrot. 

Upon  inquiry  they  learned  that  no  event  of  any  impor- 


THE  CRUISE   or   THE   DRAGON.  1x7 

tance  had  taken  place  during  their  absence.  The  Danes 
:were  complete  masters  of  the  country.  King  Alfred  was 
in  hiding,  none  knew  where.  The  greater  portion  of  the 
Danes  were  at  their  camp  at  Chippenham,  but  parties 
roamed  here  and  there  through  the  land. 

Dressed  as  countrymen,  Edmund  and  Egbert  made 
their  way  to  Exeter,  and  there  arranged  with  some 
traders  for  the  purchase  of  the  less  valuable  portion  oi 
the  Dragon's  cargo.  This  consisted  of  rich  clothing, 
silks  and  other  stuffs,  wine,  vestments  and  altar  hang- 
ings from  churches,  arms  and  armor,  hides  and  skins. 
The  prices  obtained  were  far  below  the  real  value  of  the 
articles,  for  money  was  scarce,  and  none  could  say  when 
the  Danes  might  again  swoop  down  and  clear  out  the 
contents  of  the  warehouses.  Nevertheless  the  sum 
obtained  was  a  large  one  for  those  days,  and  this  did  not 
include  the  value  of  the  gold  and  silver  goblets,  salvers, 
vases,  and  utensils  used  in  the  celebration  of  religious 
services. 

Of  these,  spoiled  from  the  houses  of  the  wealthy,  and 
the  churches  and  monasteries,  they  had  obtained  a  con- 
siderable number.  These  were  buried  in  the  wood  near 
the  lonely  spot  at  which  the  Dragon  was  moored,  the 
rest  of  the  cargo  was  sent  in  wagons — ^the  more  valuable 
portions  hidden  under  the  hides  and  skins — to  Exeter. 
The  amount  which  had  been  obtained  from  the  cargo  was 
divided  as  agreed  before  starting:  twenty-five  shares 
were  set  apart  for  the  king,  twenty-five  shares  were 
divided  between  the  two  leaders,  and  each  soldier  and 
sailor  had  one  share.  All  were  well  satisfied  with  the 
success  of  the  adventure,  and  with  the  damage  which 
they  had  inflicted  upon  the  Danes. 


3l8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

A  fortnight's  leave  was  g^ven  for  the  men  to  visit  their 
homes,  and  the  money  which  they  had  gained  in  their 
trip  was  of  great  use  to  their  friends  in  enabHng  them  to 
repair  the  damages  effected  by  the  Danes.  Not  a  man 
was  absent  at  the  appointed  time,  and  the  Dragon  again 
made  her  way  down  to  the  sea. 

It  was  midwinter  now,  and  they  cruised  along  the 
southern  coast  of  England  without  perceiving  a  single 
hostile  sail.  They  lay  for  a  week  off  the  mouth  of  the 
Thames,  and  then  saw  four  large  Danish  vessels  making 
their  way  down  the  river.  They  were  all  vessels  of  the 
largest  size,  strongly  built,  and  full  of  men,  and  the 
Saxons  judged  them  to  be  too  strong  to  be  attacked  in 
company.  The  Northmen,  on  seeing  the  Golden  Dragon 
flying  at  the  masthead  of  the  Saxon  ship,  at  once  made 
toward  her,  keeping  in  a  close  body;  but  the  Dragon 
with  sails  and  oars  easily  left  them  behind,  and  the  Danes, 
giving  up  the  pursuit,  continued  on  their  way. 

The  Dragon  fell  into  their  wake  and  followed  at  a  dis- 
tance, hoping  that  one  might  prove  slower  than  the 
others,  or  that  they  might  in  the  night  get  separated. 
At  nightfall,  however,  the  Danes  lit  cressets  of  tar  and 
hemp,  which  enabled  them  not  only  to  keep  close  to- 
gether, but  sent  out  a  wide  circle  of  light,  so  that  they 
could  perceive  the  Dragon,  should  she  venture  to 
approach. 

For  two  days  and  nights  the  Dragon  followed 
patiently. 

"  The  weather  is  about  to  change,"  Egbert  said  on  the 
third  morning.  "  Methinks  that  there  is  a  storm  brew- 
ing, and  if  this  be  so,  the  Northmen  may  well  get  sepa- 
rated, and  we  may  pick  up  one  away  from  her  fellows." 


THE   CRUISE    OF    THE   DRAGON.  II9 

Darker  and  darker  grew  the  sky,  and  the  wind 
soon  blew  in  furious  gusts,  raising  a  sea  so  heavy  that 
the  Saxons  were  obUged  to  lay  in  their  oars.  By  night- 
fall it  was  blowing  a  furious  gale.  In  the  gathering 
darkness  and  the  flying  scud  the  ships  of  the  Danes  were 
lost  sight  of;  but  this  was  of  little  consequence  now,  for 
the  attention  of  the  Saxons  was  directed  to  their  own 
safety. 

For  the  next  three  days  their  position  was  one  of  the 
greatest  danger.  With  only  a  rag  of  sail  set  they  ran 
before  the  gale  from  the  southwest.  Every  wave,  as  it 
overtook  them,  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  ship; 
but  the  Dragon,  light  and  buoyant,  and  ably  handled, 
rode  safely  over  the  waves.  On  the  fourth  morning  the 
wind  was  still  blowing  fiercely,  although  its  force  had 
in  some  degree  moderated.  As  the  daylight  dawned 
Edmund  and  Egbert,  who  had  hardly  left  the  poop  since 
the  storm  began,  looked  anxiously  ahead. 

"  Surely,  Edmund,  I  see  a  dark  mass  ahead?  "  Egbert 
exclaimed. 

For  a  minute  or  two  Edmund  gazed  silently  ahead. 

"  It  is  so,  Egbert,"  he  said ;  "  it  is  a  rocky  coast.  Do 
you  not  see  a  white  fringe  below,  where  the  waves  strike 
against  it?" 

As  the  light  became  clearer  the  imminence  of  their 
peril  grew  more  distinct.  A  lofty  iron-bound  coast  rose 
in  front  of  them,  and  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  on  either  hand.  The  seas  broke  with  terrible  force 
against  its  base,  sending  its  spray  far  up  on  the  cliflfs. 

"Could  we  bring  her  about?"  Edmund  asked  the 
chief  of  the  sailors, 


I20  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  It  would  be  useless,"  the  man  said.  "  She  could 
not  make  her  way  in  the  teeth  of  this  gale." 

"  That  I  see,"  Edmund  said ;  "  but  at  present  we  are 
rushing  on  to  destruction.  If  we  bring  her  to  the  wind 
we  may  run  some  distance  along  the  coast  before  we  are 
driven  ashore,  and  may  perceive  some  spot  toward  which 
we  may  direct  her  with  a  chance  of  making  land  ere  she 
goes  to  pieces." 

The  sail  was  still  further  lessened,  and  the  ship's  head 
brought  round  parallel  with  the  coast. 

The  Dragon  labored  tremendously  as  the  sea  struck 
her  full  on  the  beam,  and  every  wave  flooded  her  low 
waist.  Each  sea  which  struck  her  lifted  her  bodily  to 
leeward,  and  for  every  foot  she  sailed  forward  she  was 
driven  one  toward  the  coast.  This  was  now  but  three 
miles  distant,  and  another  hour  would  insure  her  destruc- 
tion ;  for  none  there  hoped  that  the  anchors,  even  should 
they  find  bottom,  could  hold  her  for  an  instant  in  the 
teeth  of  the  gale.  Every  eye  was  directed  toward  the 
shore,  but  no  break  could  be  seen  in  the  wall  of  rock 
which  rose  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  water. 

"  I  fear  it  is  hopeless,"  Edmund  said  to  Egbert;  "the 
strongest  swimmer  would  be  dashed  to  pieces  in  an 
instant  against  those  rocks." 

"  He  would  indeed,"  Egbert  replied.  **  I  wish  now 
that  we  had  boldly  engaged  the  four  Danish  ships.  Far 
better  would  it  have  been  for  us  to  have  died  fighting  for 
England  on  their  decks  than  to  have  perished  here." 

The  time  passed  slowly.  Every  minute  the  Dragon 
was  swept  nearer  and  nearer  toward  the  rocks. 

"  She  will  just  make  that  headland,"  the  master  sailor 
said,  "  and  that  is  all.     Once  round  it  we  had  best  turn 


THE   CRUISE   OF    THE   DRAGON.  121 

her  head  to  the  rocks.  If  the  cliffs  rise,  as  here,  sheer 
from  the  water,  the  moment  she  strikes  will  be  the  last 
for  all  of  us ;  but  if  the  rocks  are,  as  in  some  places,  piled 
high  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  a  few  may  possibly  manage 
to  leap  from  her  forecastle  as  she  strikes  and  to  clam- 
ber up." 

Scarce  a  word  was  spoken  on  board  the  Dragon  as  she 
came  abreast  of  the  headland.  It  was  but  a  few  hundred 
yards  away.  The  roar  of  the  seas  as  they  struck  its  base 
sounded  high  above  the  din  of  the  storm.  Great  sheets 
of  foam  were  thrown  up  to  a  vast  height,  and  the  turmoil 
of  the  water  from  the  reflux  of  the  waves  was  so  great 
that  the  Dragon  was  tossed  upon  it  like  a  cockboat,  and 
each  man  had  to  grasp  at  shroud  or  bulwark  to  retain  his 
footing. 

Suddenly  a  cheer  burst  from  end  to  end  of  the  ship. 
Beyond  the  headland  a  great  gap  was  visible  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  wide,  as  if  the  cliffs  had  been  rent  in  sunder  by 
some  tremendous  convulsion,  and  a  fiord  was  seen 
stretching  away  in  the  bosom  of  the  hills  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach.  The  Dragon's  head  was  turned,  and 
soon  she  was  flying  before  the  wind  up  the  inlet.  A  mile 
farther  and  the  fiord  widened  to  a  lake  some  two  miles 
across,  between  steep  hills  clothed  from  foot  to  summit 
with  trees. 

Its  course  was  winding,  and  they  were  soon  sheltered 
from  the  gale  and  were  gliding  quietly  over  compara- 
tively tranquil  water.  Ten  miles  up  the  anchor  was  let 
go  in  a  sheltered  inlet,  and  Edmund  summoned  the  whole 
crew  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  their  marvelous  escape. 

The  Dragon  had  suffered  severely  in  her  conflict  with 
the  elements:  her  large  sails  had  been  split  or  blown 


188  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

away,  the  bulwarks  at  her  waist  had  been  shattered, 
and  considerable  damage  done  to  her  gear  and  fittings. 
Four  and  twenty  hours  were  allowed  to  the  men  for  rest 
after  their  labors,  and  then  all  hands  were  set  to  work 
to  refit. 

The  next  morning  Edmund  said  to  his  kinsman: 

"  I  will  take  two  of  the  men  and  go  ashore  to  hunt; 
there  should  be  wild  boar  and  deer  in  these  forests,  and 
all  would  be  glad  of  some  fresh  meat." 

"Be  careful,  Edmund;  remember  you  are  in  the 
country  of  our  enemies,  for  without  doubt  this  land  to 
which  we  have  been  blown  is  Norway;  and  although 
we  can  see  no  signs  of  habitations,  there  may  well  be 
villages  somewhere  among  these    hills." 

"  I  will  be  careful,"  Edmund  said,  laughing;  "  and 
if  I  do  not  return  in  two  days  do  you  set  sail  without  me. 
I  should  like  to  discover  the  abode  of  some  Northern 
jarl ;  it  would  indeed  be  a  grand  retaliation  to  give  them 
a  taste  of  the  sufferings  they  have  inflicted  upon  us." 

"  That  would  be  good  work,"  Egbert  said.  "  Never- 
theless, I  own  that  at  present  I  am  anxious  to  be  at  sea 
again." 

"  Two  days  will  be  sufficient  to  refit,**  Edmund  said, 
**  and  then  we  will  spread  our  wings.  Good-by,  Egbert, 
I  will  be  back  by  sunset,  and  I  hope  with  a  deer  or  two.** 

Selecting  a  couple  of  followers,  both  skilled  with  the 
bow,  and  all  being  armed  with  spears,  Edmund  leaped 
ashore,  for  the  water  was  deep  up  to  the  rocks,  and  the 
Dragon  had  been  moored  alongside  for  the  convenience 
of  taking  on  board  the  wood  for  the  repairs. 

Although  those  on  board  the  Dragon  guessed  it  not, 
many  eyes  were  watching  them.    A  small  fishing  village 


THE   CRUISE   OF    THE   DRAGON.  123 

lay  at  the  edge  of  the  fiord,  a  mile  or  two  beyond  the  inlet 
in  which  the  ship  was  moored.  Hidden  as  they  were 
among  the  trees,  the  huts  had  not  been  noticed  by  the 
Saxons,  but  the  strange  ship  had  been  seen  by  some  of 
those  in  the  village,  and  the  fishermen  at  once  pro- 
nounced that,  whencesoever  she  might  have  come,  she 
was  assuredly  no  Northman's  ship.  Messengers  had 
immediately  been  sent  to  the  villages  among  the  hills. 
These  were  widely  scattered,  and  it  was  not  until  the  day 
after  the  ship's  arrival  that  a  force  was  collected  which 
was  deemed  sufficient  to  attack  it.  Already,  as  Edmund 
leaped  ashore,  the  Norsemen  were  making  their  way 
quietly  through  the  forest  toward  the  Dragon. 

Edmund  had  advanced  but  a  few  hundred  yards  up 
the  hillside  when  a  large  party  of  Norsemen  suddenly 
sprang  upon  him.  Two  Saxon  arrows  flew  true  to  their 
marks,  then  the  Danes  rushed  upon  them.  So  far  no 
words  had  been  spoken,  but  Edmund  placed  to  his  lips 
the  whistle  with  which  he  gave  orders  on  board  the  ship 
and  blew  a  long  shrill  note,  and  then  shouted  at  the  top 
of  his  voice: 

"  The  Danes!  the  Danes!  push  off!  " 

The  instant  afterward  he  was  attacked.  He  and  his 
men  fought  bravely,  but  in  a  few  seconds  the  latter  were 
cut  down  and  Edmund  was  leveled  to  the  ground  by  a 
tremendous  blow  from  a  club. 

A  minute  later  the  din  of  battle  rose  by  the  water's 
side;  Edmund's  whistle  and  shout  had  been  heard,  and 
the  Saxons  on  shore  sprang  on  board  and  seized  their 
spears  and  bows  just  as  the  Danes  poured  down  through 
the  trees.  For  a  time  the  Saxons  defended  the  ship 
against  the  desperate  attempts  of  the  Danes  to  gain  foot- 


124  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

ing  on  her ;  but  seeing  the  number  of  her  assailants,  and 
being  certain  that  Edmund  was  killed  or  captured, 
Egbert  ordered  the  ropes  to  be  cut,  and  the  Dragon  was 
thrust  away  from  the  rocks.  The  oars  were  then  got  out 
and  she  rowed  out  of  bow-shot  from  the  shore.  Then 
Egbert  held  a  consultation  with  the  leading  men  among 
the  Saxons. 

All  on  board  were  filled  with  grief  at  the  loss  of  their 
young  leader,  but  they  felt  that  nothing  could  be  done 
for  him,  and  it  would  be  but  courting  danger  to  remain 
longer  in  the  fiord.  Since  so  large  a  force  had  been  col- 
lected in  the  forest,  news  might  have  been  sent  to  the 
ports,  and  at  any  moment  they  might  see  a  fleet  of  the 
Northmen's  galleys  barring  their  retreat;  therefore,  with 
bitter  grief  and  lamentation,  the  Dragon's  sails  were 
hoisted  and  she  made  her  way  to  sea. 

"  My  only  consolation  is,"  Egbert  said,  **  that  if  the 
brave  lad  is  not  killed  at  once  he  may  yet  find  his  way 
back  to  England.  He  is  so  ready  of  wit  and  full  of 
invention  that,  if  any  can  possibly  extricate  themselves 
from  such  a  strait,  it  is  assuredly  he;  but  I  fear  that  he 
fell  in  the  first  onslaught.  Brave  lad !  even  in  the  moment 
of  his  own  peril  he  thought  first  of  us.  Had  it  not  been 
for  his  timely  warning  we  should  have  been  taken  un- 
awares, and  many  must  have  been  killed,  even  if  the 
Dragon  herself  escaped  capture." 

The  storm  had  entirely  abated,  and  the  waters  sparkled 
brightly  in  the  cold  January  sun  as  the  Dragon  sailed 
out  between  the  two  headlands  into  the  sea.  Very  dif- 
ferent were  the  feelings  of  the  crew  to  those  which  had 
animated  them  when,  two  days  before,  they  had  passed 
through  the  channel;  then  every  heart  beat  with  joy  and 


THE    CRUISE   OF    THE   DRAGON.  1 25 

thankfulness;  now  the  deepest  depression  and  grief 
reigned  on  board. 

Edmund  was  adored  by  his  followers.  His  kindness 
as  their  ealdorman,  his  skill  and  bravery  as  a  leader,  his 
cheerfulness  and  brightness  under  every  danger  and  peril 
had  immensely  endeared  him  to  their  hearts,  and  each 
man  felt  that  he  had  sustained  an  irretrievable  loss,  and 
that  with  their  chief  the  spirit  which  had  animated  the 
Dragon  and  directed  their  enterprises  was  gone. 

Egbert  was  a  valiant  warrior,  and  was  an  admirable 
second  to  an  enterprising  leader,  but  he  was  altogether 
without  initiative,  and,  except  when  excited  by  danger, 
was  dull  and  silent.  Although  all  esteemed  him  and 
honored  him  for  his  strength  and  bravery,  they  felt  that 
he  would  be  a  poor  substitute  indeed  for  the  leader  they 

hCG  !oSt,  • 


CHAPTER   IX, 

A    PRISONER. 

When  Edmund  recovered  his  senses  he  found  that 
he  was  being  carried  along  on  a  rough  litter  through  the 
forest.  It  was  some  little  time  before  he  realized  his 
position  and  recalled  the  circumstances  of  the  attack. 
After  the  Dragon  had  moved  safely  out  into  the  fiord,  its 
assailants  had  returned  to  the  spot  where  they  had 
attacked  the  three  Saxons  who  had  landed.  Two  of 
them  were  without  life,  but  they  found  that  the  third, 
who,  from  his  habiliments  was  evidently  of  higher  rank, 
and  whom  they  judged,  although  still  but  a  youth,  to  be 
the  commander  of  the  Saxon  party,  had  only  been 
stunned  by  the  blow  of  the  club  which  had  felled  him. 

It  was  at  once  resolved  to  carry  him  to  the  jarl  of  the 
district,  who  would  assuredly  wish  to  learn  from  him 
the  meaning  of  the  coming  of  the  strange  ship.  That  the 
Dragon  was  a  Saxon  vessel  the  Northmen  were  sure. 
Many  of  them  had  been  on  expeditions  across  the  seas, 
and  knew  the  Saxons  both  from  their  dress  and  manner 
of  wearing  their  hair,  but  the  ship  was  unlike  anything 
they  had  seen  before,  and  it  seemed  above  all  things 
strange  that  when,  as  they  understood,  England  had  been 
completely  conquered,  Saxon  war  ships  should  be  enter- 
ing a  northern  fiord. 

For  many  hours  Edmund  was  carried  through  the 
forest     He  wondered  to  himself  whether  he  would  be 

za6 


A   PRISONER,  127 

slain  on  his  arrival  or  kept  as  a  slave,  for  the  Norse  and 
Saxon  tongues  were  so  similar  that  he  was  perfectly  able 
to  understand  the  language  of  his  captors.  A  party  of 
twelve  men  accompanied  him,  four  of  whom  bore  the 
litter,  and  were  relieved  at  intervals  by  the  others.  After 
some  hours  the  feeling  of  giddiness  and  weakness  passed 
off,  and  on  the  men  stopping  to  change  bearers  he  ex- 
pressed his  readiness  to  walk. 

Hitherto  he  had  lain  with  his  eyes  closed,  as  he  thought 
it  better  to  remain  as  he  was  until  he  felt  perfectly  able 
to  keep  up  with  his  captors  in  a  journey  which  might, 
for  aught  he  knew,  be  a  long  one.  The  Northmen 
expressed  their  satisfaction  at  finding  that  their  burden 
need  no  longer  be  carried,  and  throwing  aside  the  boughs 
which  had  formed  the  litter,  proceeded  with  him  on  their 
way.  They  asked  him  many  questions  concerning  the 
Dragon.  Most  of  these  he  answered  readily  enough, 
but  he  evaded  those  as  to  the  place  where  she  had  been 
built,  or  the  port  from  which  she  had  sailed.  It  was  not 
until  late  in  the  afternoon  that  they  arrived  at  the  abode 
of  the  Jarl  Bijorn. 

It  was  a  rough  abode  constructed  of  timber,  thatched 
with  rushes,  for  as  yet  the  Northmen  were  scarcely  a 
settled  people,  the  tribes  for  the  most  part  wandering  in 
the  forests  hunting  when  not  engaged  in  those  warlike 
expeditions  which  they  loved  above  all  other  things. 
Only  the  leaders  dwelt  in  anything  like  permanent 
abodes,  the  rest  raising  huts  of  boughs  at  such  places  as 
they  might  make  any  stay  at. 

One  of  Edmund's  conductors  had  gone  on  ahead,  and 
as  the  party  approached  the  building  Bijorn  came  out 
from  his  house  to  meet  them.     He  was,  like  almost  all 


188  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

the  Northmen,  a  man  of  great  stature  and  immense 
strength.  Some  fifty  years  had  passed  over  his  head,  but 
he  was  still  in  the  prime  of  his  life;  for  the  Northmen, 
owing  to  their  life  of  constant  activity,  the  development 
of  their  muscles  from  childhood,  and  their  existence 
passed  in  the  open  air,  retained  their  strength  and  vigor 
to  a  great  age. 

So  assiduous  was  their  training,  and  so  rapidly  did 
their  figures  develop  in  consequence,  that  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  a  young  Northman  received  arms  and  was  re- 
garded as  a  man,  although  he  did  not  marry  until  many 
years  afterward,  early  wedlock  being  strongly  dis- 
couraged among  them.  By  Bijorn's  side  stood  his  son, 
who,  though  but  twenty-two  years  old,  rivaled  him  in 
stature  and  in  muscular  development,  although  lacking 
the  great  width  of  shoulder  of  the  jarl. 

As  Edmund  approached,  a  war  horse  of  the  jarl,  fas- 
tened up  to  a  post  close  to  the  entrance  of  the  house, 
neighed  loudly.  Bijorn  looked  surprised.  The  neigh- 
ing of  a  horse  among  the  Northmen  was  regarded  as 
the  happiest  of  auguries,  and  in  their  sacred  groves  horses 
were  tied  up,  as  the  neighing  of  these  animals  was  con- 
sidered an  infallible  proof  that  a  propitious  answer  would 
be  given  by  the  gods  to  the  prayer  of  any  petitioner  who 
sought  their  aid. 

"  By  Thor!  "  Bijorn  exclaimed,  "my  good  war  horse 
welcomes  the  stranger.  As  I  said  to  you  anon,  Sweyn, 
I  had  intended  to  offer  him  as  a  sacrifice  to  Odin;  but, 
as  the  gods  have  thus  declared  him  welcome  here,  I  must 
needs  change  my  intentions.  Who  are  you,  young 
Saxon?"  he  asked  as  Edmund  was  brought  before  him, 
"  and  whence  do  you  come?  And  how  is  it  that  a  war 
ship  of  your  people  is  found  upon  our  coasts?  " 


A   PRISONER.  X29 

"  I  am  Edmund,"  the  young  man  said  steadily,  "  an 
ealdorman  of  King  Alfred  of  the  West  Saxons.  The 
ship  which  was  seen  on  your  coast  is  mine.  I  built  it  to 
attack  the  Northmen  who  harry  our  coasts.  I  am  here 
because,  when  in  chase  of  four  of  your  ships,  a  storm 
arose  and  blew  us  hither." 

"  You  speak  boldly,"  the  jarl  said,  "  for  one  in  the 
hands  of  his  foes.     How  old  are  you?  " 

"  I  am  twenty-two,"  Edmund  replied. 

"  The  same  age  as  you,  Sweyn.  Stand  side  by  side 
and  let  me  compare  you.  Ay,"  he  went  on,  "  he  lacks 
nigh  three  inches  of  your  height,  but  he  is  more  than  that 
bigger  across  the  shoulders — a  stalwart  young  champion, 
indeed,  and  does  brave  credit  to  his  rearing.  These 
West  Saxons  have  shown  themselves  worthy  foemen, 
and  handled  us  roughly  last  year,  as  this  will  testify;" 
and  he  pointed  to  the  scar  of  a  sword-cut  across  his  face. 
"  Doubtless  this  is  the  son  of  that  Saxon  earl  who  more 
than  once  last  summer  inflicted  heavy  losses  upon  us. 
Is  that  so,  young  Saxon?  " 

"  I  am  the  Ealdorman  Edmund  himself,"  the  young 
man  replied  quietly.  "  My  successes  were  won  not  by 
my  strength  or  courage,  but  by  the  valor  of  those  under 
me,  who,  fighting  in  a  novel  manner,  gained  advantage 
over  your  Northmen." 

"  By  Thor!  "  Bijorn  exclaimed,  "  and  this  is  the  youth 
who  attacked  us  at  night  and  drove  off  the  cattle  we  had 
taken  and  slew  many  of  our  followers,  Sweyn!  Truly 
he  would  be  a  rare  sacrifice  to  offer  to  Odin;  but  the  god 
has  himself  welcomed  him  here." 

"  It  may  be  that  he  welcomed  him  as  a  sacrifice, 
father,"  Sweyn  suggested. 


S5d  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"Ah!  that  may  be  so,"  the  jarl  replied.  "We  must 
consult  the  omens  to  find  out  the  true  meaning  of  my 
charger's  neighing.  Nevertheless,  in  either  case  I  shall 
be  content,  for  if  he  be  not  welcomed  as  a  sacrifice  he  is 
welcome  as  bringing  good  fortune;  and  in  truth  he  will 
make  a  noble  cupbearer  to  me.  It  is  not  every  jarl  who 
is  waited  upon  by  a  Saxon  ealdorman.  But  till  the 
omens  have  spoken  let  him  be  set  aside  and  carefully 
watched.  In  a  day  or  two  we  will  journey  to  Odin's 
temple  and  there  consult  the  auguries." 

Three  days  passed,  during  which  Edmund  was  well  fed 
and  treated.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  ordered  to 
accompany  the  jarl  on  a  journey.  Two  days'  traveling 
brought  them  to  a  temple  of  Odin.  It  was  a  rough 
structure  of  unhewn  stones,  situated  in  a  wood.  Bijorn 
and  his  son  entered,  while  Edmund  remained  without 
under  a  guard.  Presently  the  jarl  and  his  son  came  out 
with  a  priest.  The  latter  carried  a  white  bag  in  his  hand 
with  twelve  small  pieces  of  wood.  On  half  of  these  four 
small  nicks  were  cut,  on  the  others  five  nicks.  All  were 
placed  in  the  bag,  which  was  then  shaken. 

"  Now,"  the  priest  said,  "  you  will  see  the  will  of  Odin; 
the  first  three  sticks  drawn  out  will  declare  it.  If  two  of 
the  three  bear  an  even  number  of  nicks,  the  neigh  of  your 
horse  signifies  that  Odin  accepted  the  sacrifice ;  if  two  of 
them  bear  unequal  numbers,  then  it  meant  that  his  com- 
ing was  propitious  to  you." 

The  bag  was  again  shaken.  Edmund  looked  on 
calmly,  for  Saxons  and  Northmen  alike  disdained  to 
show  the  slightest  fear  of  death;  even  the  color  did  not 
fade  from  his  cheek  as  he  watched  the  trial  upon  which 
his  life  depended. 


A   PRISONER.  131 

The  first  stick  drawn  out  bore  five  marks;  the  priest 
showed  it  to  the  jarl,  and  without  a  word  dropped  it  in 
the  bag  again.  This  was  again  shaken  and  another  stick 
drawn  out;  this  bore  but  four  notches;  the  chances  were 
even.  The  silence  was  unbroken  until  the  third  twig 
was  drawn. 

"  Odin  has  spoken,"  the  priest  said.  "  The  neighing 
of  the  horse  indicated  that  the  coming  of  this  Saxon  was 
propitious  to  your  house." 

The  jarl  gave  an  exclamation  of  satisfaction,  while 
Sweyn's  brow  darkened.  Bijorn  had  indeed  set  his  heart 
upon  retaining  this  famous  young  Saxon  leader  as  his 
slave  and  cupbearer,  and  it  was  probable  that  in  his  inter- 
view with  the  priest  before  the  drawing  his  inclinations 
had  been  clearly  shown,  for  a  slight  difference  between 
the  thickness  of  the  sticks  might  well  have  existed  and 
served  as  an  index  to  the  priest  in  drawing  them. 

Bijorn,  in  his  gratification  at  the  answer  of  the  god, 
bestowed  a  handsome  present  upon  the  priest,  and  then 
rode  back  to  his  abode  well  content  with  his  journey. 
Edmund  was  at  once  installed  in  his  new  duties. 
Hitherto  he  had  not  entered  the  house  nor  seen  the 
females  of  the  family.  Ulfra,  the  jarl's  wife,  was  a 
woman  of  commanding  stature  and  appearance.  Like 
most  of  the  northern  women,  she  had  accompanied  her 
husband  in  his  many  wanderings,  and  shared  his  dangers 
and  privations.  The  wives  of  the  Norsemen  occupied  a 
far  more  exalted  position  in  the  households  of  their  lords 
than  did  those  of  the  people  of  southern  Europe;  they 
were  not  only  mistresses  of  the  house,  but  were  treated 
with  respect  as  well  as  with  affection;  they  were  not,  as 
in  the  South,  regarded  as  puppets  for  the  amusement  of 


132  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

an  idle  hour,  but  were  the  companions  and  advisers  of 
their  husbands,  occupying  a  position  at  least  as  free  and 
respected  as  at  the  present  day. 

There  were  two  daughters,  who  both  bade  fair  to 
resemble  their  mother  in  stature  and  dignity  of  de- 
meanor, for  both  were  models  of  female  strengfth  and 
activity.  Edmund's  duties  were  light  In  the  morning 
he  gathered  firewood  for  the  household;  at  the  meals  he 
handed  the  dishes,  and  taking  his  station  behind  the  jarl's 
chair,  refilled  his  goblet  with  mead  as  often  as  it  was 
empty.  Usually  a  large  party  sat  down  to  supper,  for 
an  expedition  to  France  was  talked  of  in  the  spring,  and 
the  jarls  and  warriors  often  met  to  discuss  the  place  of 
starting,  the  arrangements  for  the  voyage,  and  the  num- 
bers which  each  leader  would  place  in  the  field.  The 
feasts  were  kept  up  to  a  late  hour,  and,  as  was  the  invari- 
able custom  of  the  Northmen,  the  arrangements  decided 
upon  overnight  were  rediscussed  at  a  morning  meeting; 
for  they  held  that  while  over  the  wine  cup  each  man 
would  speak  the  truth  frankly  and  honestly,  the  colder 
counsels  and  greater  prudence  which  the  morning 
brought  were  needed  before  any  matter  could  be  finally 
settled. 

A  month  thus  passed,  and  Bijom,  his  family,  and  fol- 
lowers then  moved  south,  as  there  was  to  be  a  great  con- 
ference near  the  southern  point  of  the  country,  at  which 
a  large  number  of  the  chiefs  from  Denmark  were  to  be 
present. 

Edmund  observed  that  for  some  reason  Sweyn  was 
looking  forward  anxiously  to  this  meeting,  and  his  sisters 
more  than  once  joked  him  about  his  anxiety. 

"Pooh!  pooh!"  the  jarl  said  one  day  in  answer  to 


A    PRISONER.  133 

such  an  observation.  "  Sweyn  is  but  a  lad  yet.  I  know 
what  you  are  driving  at,  and  that  Sweyn  is  smitten  with 
the  charms  of  my  old  companion's  daughter,  the  pretty 
Freda;  I  noted  it  when  we  were  in  camp  together;  but 
it  will  be  fully  another  ten  years  yet  before  Sweyn  can 
think  of  marrying.  He  has  got  to  win  for  himself  the 
name  of  a  great  warrior  before  a  jarl's  daughter  of  proper 
spirit  would  so  much  as  think  of  him.  When  he  has  the 
spoils  of  France  to  lay  at  her  feet  it  will  be  time  enough." 

Sweyn  made  no  reply,  but  Edmund  saw  that  he  was 
far  from  pleased  at  his  father's  words,  and  a  look  of  surly 
determination  on  his  face  showed  the  young  Saxon  that 
he  would  go  his  own  way  in  the  matter,  if  it  lay  in  his 
power. 

After  ten  days'  traveling  the  party  arrived  at  the  ren- 
dezvous. Here,  drawn  up  on  the  shore,  were  a  vast 
number  of  galleys  of  all  sizes,  for  the  greater  part  of 
those  who  had  assembled  had  journeyed  by  sea.  Great 
numbers  of  huts  of  boughs  and  many  tents  constructed 
of  sails  had  been  erected.  Edmund  and  the  other  slaves, 
these  being  either  Saxons  or  Franks  captured  in  war, 
soon  erected  bowers  for  the  jarl  and  his  family. 

Edmund  had  been  looking  forward  to  the  meeting 
with  much  anxiety,  for  he  had  judged  that  some  mode 
of  escape  might  there  open  to  him.  Among  the  Saxon 
slaves  were  several  young  men  of  strength  and  vigor, 
and  Edmund  had  confided  to  them  his  project  of  stealing 
a  boat  and  sailing  away  in  it,  and  they,  knowing  that  he 
had  experience  in  navigation,  had  readily  consented  to 
join  him  in  making  an  effort  for  freedom. 

The  jarl  and  his  family  were  warmly  welcomed  by 
many  of  their  companions  in  arms,  and  the  day  after  their 


134  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

arrival  Bijom  told  Edmund  to  accompany  him  to  a 
banquet  at  which  he  and  his  family  were  to  be  present. 
At  four  in  the  afternoon  they  set  out  and  presently 
arrived  at  a  large  tent.  Edmund  waited  without  until 
the  attendants  carried  in  the  dishes,  when  he  entered 
with  them  and  prepared  to  take  his  place  behind  his 
master's  seat.  From  a  few  words  which  had  passed 
between  Sweyn  and  his  sisters  Edmund  doubted  not  that 
the  companion  with  whom  Bijorn  was  going  to  dine  was 
the  father  of  the  maiden  about  whom  they  had  joked 
him.  He  was  not  surprised  when,  on  entering,  he  saw 
Sweyn  talking  earnestly  with  a  damsel  somewhat  apart 
from  the  rest. 

The  entrance  of  the  viands  was  the  signal  for  all  to 
take  their  places  at  the  table.  There  were  in  all  sixteen 
in  number,  and  as  nearly  half  were  women  the  meeting 
was  evidently  of  a  family  character,  as  upon  occasions  of 
importance,  or  when  serious  discussions  were  to  take 
place,  men  alone  sat  down.  As  Edmund  advanced  to 
take  his  place,  his  eye  fell  upon  the  jarl  who  seated  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  as  he  did  so  he  gave  a 
slight  start  of  surprise,  for  he  at  once  recognized  in  him 
the  Northman  Siegbert,  whose  ship  he  had  stopped  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Humber.  From  him  his  eye  glanced 
at  the  girl  by  whose  side  Sweyn  was  on  the  point  of  seat- 
ing himself,  and  recognized  in  her  the  maiden  who  had 
besought  her  father's  life.  The  dinner  commenced  and 
proceeded  for  some  little  time,  when  Edmund  saw  the 
girl  looking  fixedly  at  him. 

"  Who  is  that  who  is  standing  behind  your  father's 
chair?"  she  asked  Sweyn. 

"  A  Saxon  slave,"  he  answered.    "  His  vessel  was  well- 


A    PRISONER.  135 

nigh  wrecked  on  our  coast.  Our  people  captured  him 
snd  slew  some  of  his  followers,  and  the  ship  speedily  took 
to  flight." 

"  Father,"  the  girl  said  in  a  clear  voice,  which  at  once 
attracted  the  attention  of  all,  "  unless  my  eyes  deceive 
me,  the  young  Saxon  standing  behind  Jarl  Bijom  is  he 
whose  ship  captured  us  as  we  left  England,  and  who 
suffered  no  harm  to  be  done  to  us." 

The  Northman  turned  in  his  chair. 

"  It  is  he,  Freda,  surely  enough;  though  how  he  comes 
to  be  slave  here  to  my  comrade  Bijorn  I  know  not. 
Bijom,  my  friend,  I  owe  this  youth  a  deep  debt  of  grati- 
tude; he  had  my  life  and  the  life  and  honor  of  Freda  in 
his  hands,  and  he  spared  both,  and,  slave  though  he  may 
be  of  yours  at  present,  yet  I  hail  him  as  my  friend.  Tell 
me,  how  came  he  in  your  hands?  He  is  Edmund,  the 
valiant  young  Saxon  who  smote  us  more  than  once  so 
heavily  down  in  Wessex." 

"  I  know  it,"  Bijom  replied,  "  and  will  tell  you  how  he 
came  into  my  hands,  and  in  truth  he  was  captured  by 
accident  and  not  by  any  valor  of  my  arm."  The  jarl 
then  related  the  circumstances  under  which  Edmund  had 
been  captured,  and  the  narrow  escape  he  had  had  of  being 
offered  as  a  sacrifice  to  Odin.  And  Siegbert  then  told 
his  guests  at  length  the  incidents  of  his  capture  by  the 
Dragon. 

"  He  let  me  go  free  and  without  a  ransom,"  he  con- 
cluded, "  and  that  part  of  my  obligation  I  should  be  glad 
to  repay,  though  for  his  gentleness  to  Freda  I  must  still 
remain  his  debtor.  What  say  you,  Bijom,  will  you  sell 
him  to  me?  Name  your  price  in  horses,  arms,  and 
armor,  and  whatever  it  be  I  will  pay  it  to  you." 


S36  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  In  truth,  Siegbert,"  Bijorn  said,  "  I  like  not  to  part 
with  the  lad;  but  since  you  are  so  urgent,  and  seeing 
that  you  cannot  otherwise  discharge  the  obligation  under 
which,  as  you  say,  he  has  laid  you,  I  cannot  refuse  your 
pr-ayer.     As  to  the  price,  we  will  arrange  that  anon." 

"  Then  it  is  settled,"  Siegbert  said.  "  You  are  a  free 
man,  Ealdorman  Edmund;"  and  he  held  out  his  hand 
to  the  youth.  "  Now  seat  yourself  at  the  table  with  my 
guests;  there  are  none  here  but  may  feel  honored  at 
dining  with  one  of  King  Alfred's  bravest  thanes." 

The  transformation  in  Edmund's  position  was  sudden 
indeed;  a  moment  since  he  was  a  slave,  and  although 
he  had  determined  upon  making  an  effort  for  freedom, 
he  had  known  that  the  chances  of  escape  were  small,  as 
swift  galleys  would  have  been  sent  off  in  pursuit,  and  it 
was  probable  that  he  would  have  been  speedily  overtaken 
and  brought  back.  Now  he  was  free,  and  would  doubt- 
less be  allowed  to  return  home  with  the  first  party  who 
sailed  thither. 

Siegbert  at  once  tried  to  make  Edmund  feel  at  home, 
addressing  much  of  his  conversation  to  him.  Bijorn, 
too,  spoke  in  a  friendly  manner  with  him,  but  Sweyn  was 
silent  and  sullen ;  he  was  clearly  ill-pleased  at  this  change 
of  fortune  which  had  turned  his  father's  slave  into  a 
fellow-guest  and  equal.  His  annoyance  was  greatly 
heightened  by  the  fact  that  it  was  Freda  who  had  recog- 
nized the  young  Saxon,  and  the  pleasure  which  her  face 
evinced  when  her  father  proposed  to  purchase  him  from 
Bijorn  angered  him  still  more.  In  his  heart  he  cursed 
the  horse  whose  welcome  neigh  had  in  the  first  instance 
saved  Edmund's  life,  and  the  trial  by  augury  which  Iw.d 
confirmed  the  first  omen.    After  the  banquet  was  over 


A    PRISONER.  137 

Siegbert  requested  Edmund  to  relate  his  various 
adventures. 

The  telling  of  tales  of  daring  was  one  of  the  favorite 
amusements  of  the  Danes;  Siegbert  and  his  friends 
quaffed  great  bumpers  of  mead;  and  the  ladies  sat  apart 
listening  while  Edmund  told  his  story. 

"  You  have  a  brave  record,  indeed,"  Siegbert  said 
when  he  had  finished,  "  for  one  so  young;  and  fond  as 
are  our  youths  of  adventure,  there  is  not  one  of  them  of 
your  age  who  has  accomplished  a  tithe  of  what  you  have 
done.  Why,  Freda,  if  this  youth  were  but  one  of  us  he 
would  have  the  hearts  of  all  the  Norse  maidens  at  his  feet. 
In  the  eyes  of  a  Danish  girl,  as  of  a  Dane,  valor  is  the 
highest  of  recommendations." 

"  I  don't  know,  father,"  Freda  said,  coloring  at  being 
thus  addressed,  "  that  we  should  be  as  bold  as  that, 
although  assuredly  it  is  but  right  that  a  maiden  should 
esteem  valor  highly.  It  is  to  her  husband  she  has  to 
look  for  protection,  and  she  shares  in  the  honor  and  spoil 
which  he  gains  by  his  valiant  deeds;  so  you  have  always 
taught  me." 

"  And  rightly  too,  girl.  Next  to  being  a  great  hero, 
the  greatest  honor  is  to  be  the  wife  of  one.  I  pledge 
you,  Ealdorman  Edmund,  and  should  be  right  proud 
were  you  a  son  of  mine.  You  have  told  your  story 
modestly,  for  many  of  the  battles  and  adventures  of 
which  you  have  spoken  are  known  to  me  by  report,  and 
fame  has  given  you  a  larger  share  in  the  successes  than 
you  claim  for  yourself.  'Tis  a  pity  you  were  not  bom  a 
Northman,  for  there  is  little  for  you  to  do  in  Saxon 
England  now." 

"  I  do  not  despair  yet,"  Edmund  replied.     "  Things 


138  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

have  gone  badly  with  us,  but  the  last  blow  is  not  struck 
yet.  You  will  hear  of  King  Alfred  in  the  spring,  unless 
I  am  mistaken." 

"  But  they  say  your  King  Alfred  is  half  a  monk,  and 
that  he  loves  reading  books  more  than  handling  the 
sword,  though,  to  do  him  justice,  he  has  shown  himself 
a  brave  warrior,  and  has  given  us  far  more  trouble  than 
all  the  other  Saxon  kings  together." 

"  King  Alfred  fights  bravely,"  Edmund  said,  "  because 
he  is  fighting  for  his  country  and  people;  but  it  is  true 
that  he  loves  not  war  nor  strife.  He  reads  much  and 
thinks  more,  and  should  he  ever  come  to  his  kingdom 
again  he  will  assuredly  be  one  of  the  wisest  and  best 
monarchs  who  has  ever  sat  on  a  throne.  He  has  talked 
to  me  much  of  the  things  which  he  has  at  heart,  and  I 
know  he  intends  to  draw  up  wise  laws  for  the  ruling  of 
his  people." 

"  We  love  not  greatly  being  ruled,  we  Northmen," 
Bijorn  said,  *'  but  for  each  to  go  his  own  way  as  he  wills, 
provided  only  he  inflicts  no  ill  upon  his  neighbor.  We 
come  and  we  go,  each  as  it  pleases  him.  Our  fleets 
traverse  the  sea  and  bring  home  plunder  and  booty. 
What  need  we  of  laws?  " 

"  At  present  you  have  no  great  need  of  laws,"  Edmund 
replied,  "seeing  that  you  lead  a  wandering  life;  but 
when  the  time  shall  come — and  it  must  come  to  you  as 
it  has  come  to  other  nations — ^when  you  will  settle  down 
as  a  rich  and  peaceful  community,  then  laws  will  become 
necessary." 

"  Well,"  Bijorn  said,  "  right  glad  am  I  that  I  live  be- 
fore such  times  have  come.  So  far  as  I  can  see  the  set- 
tling down  you  speak  of,  and  the  abandonment  of  the 


A   PRISONER.  139 

ancient  gods,  has  done  no  great  good  either  to  you 
Saxons  or  to  the  Franks.  Both  of  you  were  in  the  old 
time  valiant  people,  while  now  you  are  unable  to  with- 
stand our  arms.  You  gather  goods,  and  we  carry  them 
off;  you  build  cities,  and  we  destroy  them;  you  culti- 
vate the  land,  and  we  sweep  off  the  crops.  It  seems  to 
me  that  we  have  the  best  of  it." 

"  It  seems  so  at  present,"  Edmund  said,  "  but  it  will 
not  last.  Already  in  Northumbria  and  in  East  Anglia 
the  Danes,  seeing  that  there  is  no  more  plunder  to  be 
had,  are  settling  down  and  adopting  the  customs  of  the 
Saxons,  and  so  will  it  be  in  Mercia  and  Wessex  if  you 
keep  your  hold  of  them,  and  so  will  it  be  in  other  places. 
The  change  is  but  beginning,  but  it  seems  to  me  certain 
to  come ;  so  I  have  heard  King  Alfred  say." 

"  And  does  he  think,"  Sweyn  said  scoffingly,  speaking 
almost  for  the  first  time,  "  that  we  shall  abandon  the  wor- 
ship of  our  gods  and  take  to  that  of  your  Christ?  " 

"  He  thinks  so  and  hopes  so,"  Edmund  replied  quietly. 
"  So  long  as  men's  lives  are  spent  wholly  in  war  they 
may  worship  gods  like  yours,  but  when  once  settled  in 
peaceful  pursuits  they  will  assuredly  recognize  the  beauty 
and  holiness  of  the  life  of  Christ.  Pardon  me,"  he  said^ 
turning  to  Siegbert,  "  if  it  seems  to  you  that  I,  being  stiUR 
young,  speak  with  overboldness,  but  I  am  telling  you 
what  King  Alfred  says,  and  all  men  recognize  his  wis- 
dom and  goodness." 

"  I  know  not  of  your  religion  myself,"  Siegbert  replied, 
"  but  I  will  own  willingly  that,  though  its  teachings  may 
be  peaceful,  it  makes  not  cowards  of  those  who  believe 
in  it.  I  have  seen  over  and  over  again  old  men  and 
young  die  on  the  altars  of  their  churches  as  fearlessly  and 


14©  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

calmly  as  a  Viking  should  do  when  his  time  comes.  No 
Northman  fears  death,  for  he  knows  that  a  joyous  time 
awaits  him;  but  I  am  bound  to  say  that  your  Christians 
meet  death  to  the  full  as  calmly.  Well,  each  his  own 
way,  I  say,  and  for  aught  I  know  there  may  be  a  Chris- 
tian heaven  as  well  as  the  Halls  of  Odin,  and  all  may  be 
rewarded  in  their  own  way  for  their  deeds." 

Bijom  and  his  party  now  rose  to  take  leave.  "  I  will 
come  across  to  your  tent  in  the  morning,"  Siegbert  said, 
"  and  we  can  then  discuss  what  payment  I  shall  make 
you  for  this  young  Saxon.  I  fear  not  that  you  will  prove 
over  hard  to  your  old  comrade." 

After  Bijorn  had  departed  Siegbert  assigned  to  Ed- 
mund a  place  in  his  tent  as  an  honored  guest.  Slaves 
brought  in  bundles  of  rushes  for  the  beds.  Freda  retired 
to  a  small  tent  which  had  been  erected  for  her  adjoining 
the  larger  one,  and  the  jarl  and  Edmund  lay  down  on 
their  piles  of  rushes  at  the  upper  end  of  the  tent.  Sieg- 
bert's  companions  and  followers  stretched  themselves 
along  the  sides,  the  slaves  lay  down  without,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  silence  reigned  in  the  tent. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    COMBAT. 

"  I  WAS  thinking  much  of  what  you  said  last  night," 
Freda  said  at  breakfast.  "  How  is  it  that  you,  whose 
religion  is  as  you  say  a  peaceful  one,  can  yet  have  per- 
formed so  many  deeds  of  valor  and  bloodshed?  " 

"  I  am  fighting  for  my  home,  my  country,  and  my 
religion,"  Edmund  said.  "  Christianity  does  not  forbid 
men  to  defend  themselves;  for,  did  it  do  so,  a  band  of 
pagans  might  ravage  all  the  Christian  countries  in  the 
world.  I  fight  not  because  I  love  it.  I  hate  bloodshed, 
and  would  rather  die  than  plunder  and  slay  peaceful  and 
unoffending  people.  You  have  been  in  England  and 
have  seen  the  misery  which  war  has  caused  there.  Such 
misery  assuredly  I  would  inflict  on  none.  I  fight  only 
to  defend  myself  and  my  country  men  and  women.  Did 
your  people  leave  our  land  I  would  gladly  never  draw 
sword  again." 

"  But  what  would  you  do  with  yourself?  "  Freda  asked 
in  tones  of  surprise.  "  How  would  you  pass  your  time 
if  there  were  no  fighting?  " 

"  I  should  have  plenty  to  do,"  Edmund  said,  smiling; 
"  I  have  my  people  to  look  after.  I  have  to  see  to  their 
welfare;  to  help  those  who  need  it;  to  settle  disputes;  to 
rebuild  the  churches  and  houses  which  have  been  de- 
stroyed. There  would  be  no  difficulty  in  spending  my 
time." 

«4« 


142  THS  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  But  how  could  a  man  show  himself  to  be  a  hero," 
the  Danish  girl  asked,  "  if  there  were  no  fighting?  " 

"  There  would  be  no  occasion  for  heroes,"  Edmund 
said,  "  at  least  of  heroes  in  the  sense  you  mean — that  is, 
of  men  famous  principally  few  the  number  they  have  slain, 
and  the  destruction  and  misery  they  have  caused.  Our 
religion  teaches  us  that  mere  courage  is  not  the  highest 
virtue.  It  is  one  possessed  as  much  by  animals  as  by, 
men.  Higher  virtues  than  this  are  kindness,  charity, 
unselfishness,  and  a  desire  to  benefit  pur  fellow-creatures. 
These  virtues  make  a  man  a  truer  hero  than  the  bravest 
Viking  who  ever  sailed  the  seas.  Even  you,  Freda,  wor- 
shiper of  Odin  as  you  are,  must  see  that  it  is  a  higher 
and  a  better  life  to  do  good  to  your  fellow-creatures  than 
to  do  evil." 

"It  sounds  so,"  the  girl  said  hesitatingly;  "but  the 
idea  is  so  new  to  me  that  I  must  think  it  over  before  I 
can  come  to  any  conclusion." 

Freda  then  went  about  her  occupations,  and  Edmund, 
knowing  that  Siegbert  would  not  return  for  some  time, 
as  he  was  going  with  Bijorn  to  a  council  which  was  to  be 
held  early  in  the  day,  strolled  down  to  look  at  the  galleys 
ranged  along  on  the  -  beach.  These  varied  greatly  in 
form  and  character.  Some  of  the  sailing  ships  were  large 
and  clumsy,  but  the  galleys  for  rowing  were  lightly  and 
gracefully  built.  They  were  low  in  the  water,  rising  to 
a  lofty  bow,  which  sometimes  turned  over  like  the  neck 
of  a  swan,  at  other  times  terminated  in  a  sharp  iron  prow, 
formed  for  running  down  a  hostile  boat.  Some  of  them 
were  of  great  length,  with  seats  for  twenty  rowers  on 
either  side,  while  all  were  provided  with  sails  as  well  as 
oars.    When  the  hour  for  dinner  approached  he  returned 


THE  COMBAT.  '  I43 

to  b'iegDert's  tent.  The  jarl  had  not  yet  come  back  from 
the  council.  When  he  did  so  Edmund  perceived  at  once 
that  he  was  flushed  and  angry. 

"  What  has  disturbed  you,  father?  "  Freda  asked,  as, 
on  hearing  his  voice,  she  entered  the  tent.  "  Has  aught 
gone  wrong  at  the  council?  " 

"  Yes,"  the  jarl  replied,  "  much  has  gone  wrong. 
Bijorn  and  I  had  not  concluded  our  bargain  when  we 
went  to  the  council.  We  had,  indeed,  no  difficulty  about 
the  terms,  but  we  had  not  clasped  hands  over  them,  as  I 
was  going  back  to  his  tent  after  the  council  was  over. 
At  the  council  the  expedition  against  France  was  dis- 
cussed, and  it  was  proposed  that  we  should  consult  the 
gods  as  to  the  chances  of  the  adventure.  Then  the  Jarl 
Eric  rose  and  proposed  that  it  should  be  done  in  the 
usual  way  by  a  conflict  between  a  Dane  and  a  captive. 
This  was  of  course  agreed  to. 

"  He  then  said  that  he  understood  that  there  was  in 
the  camp  a  young  Saxon  of  distinguished  valor,  and  that 
he  proposed  that  Sweyn,  the  son  of  Bijorn,  should  fight 
with  him.  Sweyn  had  expressed  to  him  his  willingness 
to  do  so,  should  the  council  agree.  I  rose  at  once  and 
said  that  the  Saxon  was  no  longer  a  captive,  since  I  had 
ransomed  him  because  he  had  once  done  me  a  service; 
but  upon  being  pressed  I  was  forced  to  admit  that  the 
bargain  had  not  been  concluded.  I  must  acquit  Bijorn 
of  any  share  in  the  matter,  for  it  came  upon  him  as  much 
by  surprise  as  it  did  upon  me.  It  seems  that  it  is  all 
Sweyn's  doing.  lie  must  have  taken  the  step  as  having 
a  private  grudge  against  you.  Have  you  had  any  quar- 
rel with  him?  " 

"  No,"  Edmund  replied.     "  He  has  ever  shown  him- 


144  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

self  haughty  and  domineering,  but  we  have  come  to  no 
quarrel." 

"  At  any  rate  he  wants  to  kill  you,"  Siegbert  said.  "  I 
did  my  best  to  prevent  it,  pointing  out  that  the  combat 
ought  to  take  place  between  a  Frank  and  a  Dane.  How- 
ever, the  Northmen  are  always  glad  to  see  a  good  fight, 
and  having  satisfied  themselves  that  in  point  of  age  and 
strength  you  were  not  unfairly  matched,  they  decided 
that  the  conflict  should  take  place.  He  is  taller,  and  I 
think  somewhat  stronger  than  you,  and  has  proved  him- 
self a  valiant  fighter,  and  I  would  give  much  if  the  com- 
bat could  be  avoided." 

"  I  fear  him  not,"  Edmund  said  quietly,  "  though  I 
would  fain  that  this  could  be  avoided.  Had  I  met  Sweyn 
upon  a  battlefield  in  England  I  would  have  slain  him  as 
a  natural  enemy;  but  to  fight  him  in  cold  blood,  either 
as  a  matter  of  augury  or  to  furnish  amusement  for  the 
assembly,  likes  me  not.  However,  I  must  of  course 
defend  myself,  and  if  harm  comes  to  him  it  is  no  blame 
of  mine." 

"  You  will  have  no  easy  victory,  I  can  tell  you,"  Sieg- 
bert said,  "  for  none  among  our  young  Danes  bears  a 
higher  reputation." 

"But  after  the  combat  is  over  how  shall  I  stand?" 
Edmund  asked ;  "  for  if  I  defeat  or  slay  Sweyn  I  shall 
still  be  his  father's  slave." 

"  That  will  you  not,"  Siegbert  replied.  "  In  these 
cases  the  captive,  if  victorious,  is  always  restored  to 
liberty;  but  at  any  rate  you  shall  fight  as  a  free  man; 
for  when  I  have  finished  my  dinner,  I  will  go  to  Bijorn 
and  conclude  our  bargain.  Do  not  look  so  cast  down, 
Freda;  a  Northman's  daughter  must  not  turn  pale  at  the 


THE   COMBAT.  145 

thought  of  a  conflict.  Sweyn  is  the  son  of  my  old  friend, 
and  was,  before  he  took  to  arms,  your  playfellow,  and 
since  then  has,  methought,  been  anxious  to  gain  your 
favor,  though  all  too  young  yet  for  thinking  of  taking  a 
wife;  but  never  mind,  there  are  as  good  as  he  to  be 
found;  and  if  our  young  Saxon  here  proves  his  con- 
queror other  suitors  will  come,  never  fear." 

Freda  was  silent,  but  her  face  flushed  painfully,  and 
Edmund  saw  the  tears  falling  down  her  cheeks  as  she 
bent  over  her  plate. 

After  the  meal  was  over  Siegbert  again  went  out,  and 
Edmund,  approaching  Freda,  said,  "  Do  not  fret,  Freda; 
if  it  should  be  that  I  find  my  skill  in  arms  greater  than 
that  of  Sweyn,  I  promise  you  that  for  your  sake  I  will  not 
wound  him  mortally." 

"I  care  not,"  the  girl  said  passionately;  "spare  him 
not  for  my  sake,  for  I  hate  him,  and  were  there  no  other 
Norseman  in  the  world  I  would  never  be  wife  of  his." 

So  saying,  she  left  the  tent.  Edmund  now  regretted 
the  chance  which  had  assigned  him  to  Siegbert,  for  he 
would  rather  have  taken  his  chance  of  escape  by  sea  than 
have  awaited  the  conflict  with  Sweyn.  But  he  could  not 
carry  his  plan  of  escape  into  effect  now,  for  it  would  seem 
as  if  he  had  fled  the  conflict.  That  this  would  be  a  des- 
perate one  he  did  not  doubt.  The  course  which  Sweyn 
had  taken  showed  a  bitter  feeling  of  hatred  against  him, 
and  even  were  it  not  so  the  young  Northman  would, 
fighting  in  the  presence  of  the  leaders  of  his  nation, 
assuredly  do  his  best  to  conquer.  But  Edmund  had 
already  tried  his  strength  with  older  and  more  powerful 
men  than  his  adversary  and  had  little  fear  of  results. 

The  news  of  the  approaching  conflict  caused  con- 


146  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

siderable  excitement  in  the  Danish  camp,  and  Edmund's 
figure  was  narrowly  scrutinized  as  he  wandered  through 
it.  All  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  war  in  Wessex  had 
heard  of  Edmund,  and  there  was  no  slight  curiosity,  when 
the  news  went  abroad  that  the  Saxon  leader  was  a  captive 
in  the  camp,  to  see  what  he  was  like. 

At  first,  when  it  was  bruited  about  that  Sweyn,  the  son 
of  Jarl  Bijorn,  was  to  fight  this  noted  Saxon  champion, 
the  idea  was  that  the  enterprise  was  a  rash  one,  strong 
and  valiant  as  Sweyn  was  known  to,  be  for  a  young  man ; 
but  when  it  was  seen  that  Edmund  was  no  older  than 
he,  and  to  the  eye  less  strong  and  powerful,  they  felt  con- 
fident in  the  power  of  their  champion  to  overcome  him. 

Siegbert  spared  no  pains  to  see  that  his  guest  had  an 
even,  equal  chance.  He  procured  for  him  a  strong  and 
well-made  helmet  which  fitted  him  comfortably,  and  gave 
him  the  choice  out  of  a  large  number  of  shields  and 
swords.  Edmund  selected  a  weapon  which  answered 
nearly  in  weight  and  balance  that  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  wield.  There  was  feasting  again  that  night  in 
Siegbert's  tent;  but  he  did  not  allow  Edmund  to  join  in 
it,  insisting  after  the  meal  was  over  that  he  should  retire 
to  a  small  hut  hard  by. 

"  You  will  want  your  head  and  your  nerves  in  good 
order  to-morrow,"  he  said.  "  Feasting  is  good  in  its 
way,  and  the  night  before  battle  I  always  drink  deeply, 
but  for  a  single  combat  it  were  best  to  be  prudent."  As 
Edmund  left  the  tent  Freda,  who  had  not  appeared  at 
dinner,  came  up  to  him. 

"  I  have  been  crying  all  day,"  she  said  simply.  "  I 
know  not  why,  for  I  hav«  often  seen  my  father  go  out  to 
battle  without  a  tear.     I  think  you  must  have  upset  me 


THE   COMBAT.  147 

Willi  your  talk  this  morning.  I  hope  that  you  will  win, 
because  it  was  wrong  and  unfair  of  Sweyn  to  force  this 
battle  upon  you;  and  I  hate  him  for  it!  I  shall  pray 
Odin  to  give  you  victory.  You  don't  believe  in  him,  13 
know;  still  my  prayers  can  do  you  no  harm." 

"  Thank  you,"  Edmund  said.  "  I  shall  pray  to  One 
greater  and  better  than  Odin.  But  weep  not  any  longer, 
for  I  trust  that  neither  of  us  will  be  killed.  I  shall  do  my 
best  to  guard  myself,  and  shall  try  not  to  slay  him;  for 
this  fight  is  not  for  my  nation  or  for  my  religion,  but 
concerns  myself  only." 

The  following  morning  the  Northmen  assembled. 
The  jarls  and  other  leading  men  formed  the  inner  line  of 
a  circle  some  thirty  yards  in  diameter,  the  others  stood 
without;  Jarl  Eric  entered  the  ring  with  Sweyn,  while 
Edmund,  accompanied  by  Siegbert,  entered  at  the  other 
side  of  the  circle. 

"  I  protest,"  Siegbert  cried  in  a  loud  voice,  "  against 
this  conflict  taking  place.  Edmund  the  Saxon  is  no  cap- 
tive here,  but  a  free  man,  and  my  guest;  moreover,  being 
a  Saxon,  the  issue  of  this  fight  between  him  and  a  North- 
man can  serve  no  purpose  as  an  augury  as  to  the  success 
of  our  expedition  against  the  Franks.  Therefore  do  I 
protest  against  the  conflict." 

There  was  again  a  consultation  between  the  leaders, 
for  a  murmur  of  approbation  had  run  round  the  ranks 
of  the  spectators,  who  it  was  evident  were  impressed  in 
favor  of  the  young  Saxon,  and  considered  that  the  jarl's 
words  were  just  and  reasonable.  Eric  spoke  for  a  min- 
ute with  Sweyn. 

"  I  feel,"  he  said  in  a  loud  voice,  "  that  what  Jarl  Sieg- 
beif  says  is  reasonable,  that  no  augury  can  be  drawn  from 


3i48  THE   DRAGON   AND    THE    RAVEN. 

the  fight,  and  that  since  Edmund  is  no  longer  a  captive, 
and  a  friend  of  Siegbert's,  he  cannot  be  forced  into  fight- 
ing in  order  that  we  may  have  an  augury.  But  the 
Saxon,  though  so  young,  has  won  a  reputation  even 
among  us,  the  enemies  of  his  race ;  and  my  friend  Sweyn, 
who  has  shown  himself  one  of  the  bravest  of  our  young 
men,  considers  that  he  has  cause  of  quarrel  with  him,  and 
challenges  him  to  fight — not  necessarily  to  the  death,  or 
till  one  is  slain,  but  till  the  jarls  here  assembled  do  pro- 
nounce one  or  the  other  to  be  the  victor.  This  is  a  fair 
challenge — first,  there  is  a  private  quarrel;  next,  there 
is  emulation  between  these  young  men,  who  may  fairly 
claim  to  be  the  champions  of  the  youth  of  the  two  races. 
Such  a  challenge  the  Saxon  will  hardly  refuse." 

In  accordance  with  the  customs  of  the  day  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  Edmund  to  have  refused  such 
a  challenge  without  disgrace,  and  he  did  not  for  a  mo- 
ment think  of  doing  so. 

"  I  am  ready  to  fight  Sweyn,"  he  said.  "  I  have  no 
great  cause  of  quarrel  with  him;  but  if  he  conceives  that 
he  has  grounds  of  quarrel  with  me,  that  is  enough.  As 
to  championship  of  the  Saxons,  we  have  no  champions; 
we  fight  not  for  personal  honor  or  glory,  but  for  our 
homes,  our  countries,  and  our  religion;  each  doing  his 
best  according  to  the  strength  God  has  given  him,  and 
without  thought  of  pride  on  the  one  hand  or  of  envy  on 
the  other  because  the  strength  or  courage  of  one  may 
be  somewhat  greater  than  that  of  another.  Still,  as  a 
Saxon  standing  here  as  the  only  representative  of  my 
nation  in  an  assembly  of  Northmen,  I  cannot  refuse  such 
a  challenge,  for  to  do  so  would  be  to  infer  that  we  Saxons 
are  less  brave  than  you.     Therefore  I  am  ready  for  the 


THE    COMBAT.  I49 

combat."  The  Northmen  clashed  their  weapons  against 
their  shields  in  token  of  their  approval  of  the  young 
Saxon's  words,  and  the  young  champions  prepared  for 
the  combat.  They  were  naked  to  the  waist  save  for 
shield  and  helmet ;  below  the  waist  each  wore  a  short  and 
tightly-fitting  garment  covered  with  plates  of  brass;  the 
legs  were  naked,  and  each  wore  a  pair  of  light  sandals; 
their  weapons  were  long  straight  swords.  The  weapon 
which  Edmund  had  chosen  was  considerably  lighter  than 
that  of  his  opponent,  but  was  of  toughest  steel,  on  which 
were  engraved  in  rough  characters  "  Prayers  to  Wodin 
for  victory." 

The  difference  in  height  between  the  combatants  was 
considerable.  Edmund  stood  five  feet  ten,  but  looked 
shorter  from  the  squareness  and  width  of  his  shoulders. 
Sweyn  was  nearly  four  inches  taller,  and  he  too  was  very 
strongly  built.  His  muscles  indeed  stood  out  in  stronger 
development  than  did  those  of  Edmund,  and  if  pure 
strength  was  to  win  the  day  few  of  those  who  looked  on 
doubted  that  the  Dane  would  be  the  victor.  The  com- 
bat was  a  long  one.  For  some  time  Edmund  contented 
himself  with  standing  upon  the  defensive  and  guarding 
the  tremendous  blows  which  Sweyn  rained  upon  him. 
In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  Northman,  he  could  neither 
beat  down  the  Saxon's  guard  nor  force  him  to  fall  back 
a  single  step. 

Again  and  again  the  rattle  of  the  spectators'  arms 
clashed  in  approval  of  Edmund's  steady  resistance  to  his 
opponent's  assault.  The  Norsemen  delighted  beyond  all 
things  in  a  well-fought  encounter.  Each  man,  himself  a 
warrior,  was  able  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  strokes 
and  parries.     The  betting  at  the  commencement  had  run 


150  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

high  upon  Sweyn,  and  horses,  armor,  arms,  and  slaves 
had  been  freely  wagered  upon  his  success;  but  as  the 
fight  went  on  the  odds  veered  round,  and  the  demeanor 
of  the  combatants  had  as  much  to  do  with  this  as  the  skill 
and  strength  shown  by  Edmund  in  his  defense.  The 
Dane  was  flushed  and  furious;  his  temper  gave  way 
under  the  failure  of  his  assaults.  The  Saxon,  on  the  con- 
trary, fought  as  calmly  and  coolly  as  if  practicing  with 
blunted  weapons;  his  eyes  never  left  those  of  his  adver- 
sary, a  half  smile  played  on  his  lips,  and  although  drops 
of  perspiration  from  his  forehead  showed  how  great  were 
his  exertions,  his  breathing  hardly  quickened. 

Twice  Sweyn  drew  back  for  breath,  and  Edmund  each 
time,  instead  of  pressing  him,  dropped  the  point  of  his 
sword  and  waited  for  him  to  renew  the  combat.  At 
present  he  had  scarce  struck  a  blow,  and  while  his  own 
shield  was  riven  in  several  places  and  his  helmet  dented, 
those  of  Sweyn  were  unmarked. 

At  the  third  assault  Sweyn  came  up  determined  to  end 
the  conflict,  and  renewed  the  attack  with  even  greater 
fury  than  before.  Three  times  his  sword  descended  with 
tremendous  force,  but  each  time  it  met  the  blade  of  the 
Saxon;  the  fourth  time  his  arm  was  raised,  when  there 
was  a  flash  and  a  sudden  shout  from  the  crowd.  With 
a  mighty  blow  Edmund  had  smitten  full  on  his  oppo- 
nent's uplifted  arm,  and,  striking  it  just  above  the  elbow, 
the  sword  clove  through  flesh  and  bone,  and  the  severed 
limb,  still  grasping  the  sword,  fell  to  the  ground. 

A  loud  shout  of  approval  burst  from  the  Danes. 
Although  the  conqueror  was  their  enemy,  they  appre- 
ciated so  highly  the  virtues  of  coolness  and  courage  that 
their  applause  was  no  less  hearty  than  if  the  victor  had 


THE   COMBAT.  15I 

been  a  cotntryman.  Sweyn  had  fallen  almost  the  instant 
the  blow  had  been  struck.  The  ring  was  at  once  broken 
up,  and  his  friends  ran  to  him.  The  Norsemen  were 
adepts  at  the  treatment  of  wounds,  and  everything  had 
been  prepared  in  case  of  emergencies. 

A  bandage  was  instantly  tied  tightly  round  the  upper 
part  of  the  arm  to  stop  the  rush  of  blood,  and  the  stump 
was  then  dipped  into  boiling  pitch,  and  Sweyn,  who  had 
become  almost  instantly  insensible  from  the  loss  of 
blood,  was  carried  to  his  father's  tent.  According  to 
custom,  handsome  presents  of  swords  and  armor  were 
made  to  Edmund  by  those  who  had  won  by  his  success. 

It  would  have  been  considered  churlish  to  refuse  them, 
and  Edmund  had  no  thought  of  doing  so,  for  he  needed 
money,  and  these  things  in  those  days  were  equivalent 
to  wealth. 

"  You  have  done  well  and  gallantly  indeed,  my  young 
friend,"  Siegbert  said  as,  followed  by  several  slaves  bear- 
ing Edmund's  presents,  they  returned  to  the  tent.  "  I 
am  glad  you  did  not  slay  him,  for  I  think  not  that  he  will 
die.  Such  a  blow  given  in  battle  would  assuredly  have 
been  fatal,  but  here  the  means  of  stanching  the  blood 
were  at  hand,  and  I  trust  for  Bijorn's  sake  that  he  will 
recover,  but  whether  or  no  he  brought  it  on  himself." 

On  reaching  the  tent  Freda  ran  out  radiant. 

"  I  hear  that  you  have  conquered,"  she  said,  "  and  I 
am  glad  indeed.  It  serves  him  right,  for  all  say  that  he 
forced  the  fight  upon  you." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  your  sympathies  were  so  strongly 
against  Sweyn,"  Siegbert  said  in  a  somewhat  reproach- 
ful tone.     "  He  has  always  been  your  devoted  follower." 

"  He  has  always  been  my  tyrant,  father,  for  he  has 


152  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

always  insisted  on  my  doing  his  pleasure;  but  if  he  had 
been  ten  times  my  follower,  and  had  been  a  valiant  war- 
rior instead  of  a  youth,  and  I  a  maiden  of  twenty  instead 
of  a  girl  of  fifteen,  I  should  still  be  glad  that  he  was  con- 
quered, because  without  any  reason  for  quarrel  he  has 
sought  to  slay  this  Saxon  youth,  who  did  us  such  great 
service,  and  to  whom,  as  he  knew,  we  were  so  indebted." 

Siegbert  smiled.  "Hitherto  I  have  wondered,  daugh- 
ter mine,  at  the  reason  which  induced  Sweyn  to  challenge 
Edmund,  but  now  methinks  I  understand  it  Sweyn  has, 
•as  his  father  has  told  me,  youth  as  he  is,  set  his  heart  on 
winning  your  hand  when  you  shall  reach  the  age  of 
womanhood,  and  it  is  just  because  Edmund  has  done 
you  and  me  service  that  he  hates  him.  You  are  young, 
child,  for  your  bright  eyes  to  have  caused  bloodshed ;  if 
you  go  on  like  this  there  will  be  no  end  to  the  trouble  I 
^all  have  on  your  account  before  I  get  you  fairly 
wedded." 

Freda  colored  hotly. 

"  That  is  nonsense,  father ;  another  five  years  will  be 
soon  enough  to  begin  to  think  of  such  things.  At  any 
rate,"  she  said  with  a  laugh,  "  I  am  rid  of  Sweyn,  for  he 
can  hardly  expect  me  ever  to  love  a  one-armed  man." 

"  There  have  been  brave  warriors,**  Siegbert  said, 
"  with  but  one  arm." 

"  It  makes  no  difference,"  Freda  laughed;  "  if  he  had 
fifty  arms  I  should  never  love  him." 

Edmund  now  entreated  Siegbert  to  repay  himself  from 
the  presents  he  had  received  for  the  goods  he  had  the 
evening  before  given  to  Bijom  as  the  price  of  his 
liberty,  but  this  the  jarl  would  not  hear  of.     Edmund 


THE   COMBAT.  155 

then  begged  him  to  buy  with  them,  of  Bijom,  the  four 
Saxon  slaves  with  whom  he  had  agreed  to  attempt  an 
escape,  and  to  expend  the  rest  of  the  presents  in  freeing 
as  many  other  Saxon  prisoners  as  he  could. 

This  Siegbert  did,  and  by  the  evening  Edmund  had 
the  satisfaction  of  finding  around  him  twelve  Saxons 
whose  freedom  he  had  purchased.  He  remained  as  the 
guest  of  Siegbert  until  the  expedition  sailed  in  the  last 
week  of  March.  Then  with  the  twelve  Saxons  he  em- 
barked in  Siegbert's  ship,  which,  instead  of  keeping  with 
the  others,  sailed  for  the  mouth  of  the  Thames.  The 
wind  was  favorable  and  the  passage  quick,  and  three 
days  after  sailing  Edmund  and  his  companions  were  dis- 
embarked on  the  coast  of  Kent.  His  adieus  with  Sieg- 
bert were  hearty  and  earnest. 

"  I  would  you  had  been  a  Northman,"  the  jari  said, 
"  for  I  love  you  as  a  son,  and  methinks  that  when  the 
time  comes,  had  you  been  so  inclined,  you  might  have 
really  stood  in  that  relation  to  me,  for  I  guess  that  my 
little  Freda  would  not  have  said  no  had  you  asked  her 
hand;  but  now  our  paths  are  to  part.  I  shall  never  war 
again  with  the  Saxons,  for  indeed  there  is  but  scant  booty 
to  be  gained  there,  while  you  are  not  likely  again  to  be 
cast  upon  our  shores;  but  should  the  fates  ever  throw  us 
together  again,  remember  that  you  have  a  friend  for  life 
in  Jarl  Siegbert." 

Freda,  who  had  accompanied  her  father  as  usual, 
wept  bitterly  at  the  parting,  which,  however,  she  did  not 
deem  to  be  as  final  as  it  appeared  to  her  father;  for  the 
evening  before,  4s  she  was  standing  on  the  poop  with 
Edmund,  he  had  said  to  her:  "You  will  not  forget  me. 


154  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Freda.  We  are  both  very  young  yet;  but  some  day, 
when  the  wars  are  over  and  England  no  longer  requires 
my  sword,  I  will  seek  you  again." 

"  Is  that  a  promise,  Edmund?  " 

"  Yes,  Freda,  a  solemn  promise." 

"  I  will  wait  for  you,"  she  said  simply,  "  if  it  were  till 
the  end  of  my  life." 

The  youth  and  girl  ratified  the  promise  by  a  kiss,  and 
Freda,  as  through  her  tears  she  watched  the  boat  which 
conveyed  Edmund  and  his  companions  to  shore,  felt  sure 
that  some  day  she  should  see  her  Saxon  hero  again. 

On  landing,  Edmund  soon  learned  that  the  Danes  were 
everywhere  masters,  and  that  since  the  autumn  nothing 
had  been  heard  of  the  king,  who  was  supposed  to  be 
somewhere  in  hiding. 

In  every  village  through  which  they  passed  they  faund 
evidence  of  the  mastership  of  the  Danes.  Many  of  the 
houses  were  burned  or  destroyed,  the  people  were  all 
dressed  in  the  poorest  garb,  and  their  sad  faces  and  list- 
less mien  told  of  the  despair  which  everywhere  prevailed. 
In  every  church  the  altars  had  been  thrown  down,  the 
holy  emblems  and  images  destroyed,  the  monks  and 
priests  had  fled  across  the  sea  or  had  been  slain. 

The  Danish  gods,  Thor  and  Wodin,  had  become  the 
divinities  of  the  land,  and  the  Saxons,  in  whom  Chris- 
tianity had  but  recently  supplanted  the  superstitions  of 
paganism,  were  fast  returning  to  the  worship  of  the  pagan 
gods.  Edmund  and  his  companions  were  shocked  at 
the  change.  On  reaching  home  they  found  that  the 
ravages  of  the  Danes  had  here  been  particularly  severe, 
doubtless  in  revenge  for  the  heavy  loss  which  had  been 
sustained  by  them  in  their  attack  upon  Edmund's  forti- 


THE   COMBAT.  155 

fication.  His  own  abode  had  been  completely  leveled  to 
the  ground,  and  the  villages  and  farmhouses  for  the  most 
part  wholly  destroyed.  His  people  were  lying  in  rude 
shelters  which  they  had  raised,  but  their  condition  was 
very  much  better  than  that  of  the  people  in  general. 

The  news  of  Edmund's  return  spread  like  wildfire,  and 
excited  the  most  extreme  joy  among  his  people,  who 
had  long  given  him  up  for  lost.  He  found  to  his  delight 
that  the  Dragon  had  returned  safely,  and  that  she  was 
laid  up  in  her  old  hiding  place.  The  great  amount  of 
spoil  with  which  she  was  loaded  had  enabled  her  crew 
largely  to  assist  their  friends,  and  it  was  this  which  had 
already  raised  the  condition  of  the  people  above  that  of 
their  neighbors.  Houses  were  being  gradually  rebuilt, 
animals  had  been  brought  from  districts  which  had  been 
less  ravaged  by  the  Danes,  and  something  approaching 
comfort  was  being  rapidly  restored. 

Upon  the  day  after  Edmund's  return  Egbert  arrived. 
Feeling  sure  of  Edmund's  death  he  had  taken  no  steps 
toward  rebuilding  the  house,  but  was  living  a  wild  life 
in  the  woods,  when  the  news  reached  him  that  Edmund 
had  reappeared.  His  own  large  share  of  the  booty  with 
that  of  Edmund  he  had  buried,  with  the  portion  set  aside 
for  the  king,  in  the  wood  near  the  spot  where  the  Dragon 
was  laid  up. 

They  had  passed  up  the  Parrot  at  night  unobserved 
by  the  Danes,  and  after  taking  the  masts  out  of  the 
Dragon,  and  dismantling  her,  they  had  laid  her  up  in 
the  hole  near  the  river  where  she  was  built.  There  was 
little  fear  of  her  discovery  there,  for  the  Danes  were  for 
the  most  part  gathered  in  winter  quarters  at  the  great 
camp  near  Chippenham. 


156  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Egbert's  delight  at  the  reappearance  of  Edmund  was 
tmbounded,  for  he  loved  him  as  a  son,  and  it  was  a 
long  time  before  their  joy  at  the  meeting  was  sufficiently 
calmed  down  to  enable  them  to  tell  each  other  the  events 
which  had  happened  since  they  parted  three  months  be- 
fore. Egbert's  narrative  was  indeed  brief.  He  had 
remained  two  or  three  days  off  the  coast  of  Norway  in 
the  lingering  hope  that  Edmund  might  in  some  way  have 
escaped  death,  and  might  yet  come  oflF  and  join  him.  At 
the  end  of  a  week  this  hope  had  faded,  and  he  sailed  for 
England.  Being  winter,  but  few  Danish  galleys  were  at 
sea,  and  he  had  encountered  none  from  the  time  he  set 
sail  until  he  arrived  off  the  coast  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Parrot. 

He  had  entered  the  river  at  night  so  as  to  be  unseen 
by  any  in  the  village  at  its  mouth,  and  had,  after  the 
Dragon  was  laid  up,  passed  his  time  in  the  forest.  Ed- 
mund's narration  was  much  more  lengthy,  and  Egbert 
was  surprised  indeed  to  find  that  his  kinsman  owed  his 
freedom  to  the  jarl  whose  vessel  they  had  captured  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Humber. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    ISLE    OF    ATHELNEY. 

Edmund  spent  a  month  on  his  lands,  moving  about 
among  his  vassals  and  dwelling  in  their  abodes.  He 
inspired  them  by  his  words  with  fresh  spirit  and  con- 
fidence, telling  them  that  this  state  of  things  could  not 
last,  and  that  he  was  going  to  join  the  king,  who  doubt- 
less would  soon  call  them  to  take  part  in  a  fresh  effort  to 
drive  out  their  cruel  oppressors.  Edmund  found  that 
although  none  knew  with  certainty  the  hiding  place  of 
King  Alfred,  it  was  generally  reported  that  he  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  low  lands  of  Somersetshire,  and  Athelney 
was  specially  named  as  the  place  which  he  had  made  his 
abode. 

"  It  is  a  good  omen,"  Edmund  said,  "  for  Athelney 
lies  close  to  the  Parrot,  where  my  good  ship  the  Dragon 
is  laid  away." 

After  visiting  all  the  villages  in  his  earldom  Edmund 
started  with  Egbert  and  four  young  men,  whom  he  might 
use  as  messengers,  for  the  reported  hiding  place  of  the 
king.  First,  they  visited  the  Dragon,  and  found  her 
lying  undisturbed;  then  they  followed  the  river  down  till 
they  reached  the  great  swamps  which  extended  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  near  its  mouth.  After  much  wander- 
ing they  came  upon  the  hut  of  a  fisherman.  The  man, 
cm  hearing  the  footsteps,  came  to  his  door  with  a  bent 


158  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

bow.  When  he  saw  that  the  newcomers  were  Saxons  he 
lowered  the  arrow  which  was  already  fitted  to  the  string. 

"  Can  you  tell  us,"  Edmund  said,  "  which  is  the  way 
to  Athelney?  We  know  that  it  is  an  island  amid  these 
morasses,  but  we  are  strangers  to  the  locality  and  can- 
not find  it." 

"  And  you  might  search  for  weeks,"  the  man  said, 
"  without  finding  it,  so  thickly  is  it  surrounded  by  deep 
swamps  and  woods.     But  what  want  ye  there?  " 

"  Men  say,"  Edmund  replied,  "  that  King  Alfred  is 
hidden  there.  We  are  faithful  followers  of  his.  I  am 
Ealdorman  Edmund  of  Sherborne,  and  have  good  news 
for  the  king." 

"  If  ye  are  indeed  the  Ealdorman  of  Sherborne,  of 
whose  bravery  I  have  heard  much,  I  will  right  willingly 
lead  you  to  Athelney  if  you  will,  but  no  king  will  you 
find  there.  There  are  a  few  fugitives  from  the  Danes 
scattered  here  and  there  in  these  marshes,  but  none,  so 
far  as  I  know,  of  any  rank  or  station.  However,  I  will 
lead  you  thither,  should  you  still  wish  to  go." 

Edmund  expressed  his  desire  to  visit  the  island,  even  if 
the  king  were  not  there.  The  man  at  once  drew  out  a 
small  boat  from  a  hiding  place  near  his  hut.  It  would 
hold  four  at  most.  Edmund  and  Egbert  stepped  in 
with  one  of  their  followers,  charging  the  others  to  remain 
at  the  hut  until  they  received  further  instructions.  The 
fisherman  with  a  long  pole  took  his  place  in  the  bow  of 
the  boat  and  pushed  off.  For  some  hours  they  made 
their  way  through  the  labyrinth  of  sluggish  and  narrow 
channels  of  the  morass.  It  was  a  gloomy  journey.  The 
leafless  trees  frequently  met  overhead;  the  long  rushes 


THE   ISLE   OF   ATHELNKY  159 

in  the  wetter  parts  of  the  swamp  rustled  as  the  cold 
breezes  swept  across  them,  and  a  slight  coating  of  snow 
which  had  fallen  the  previous  night  added  to  the  dreary 
aspect  of  the  scene.  At  last  they  came  upon  sharply 
rising  ground. 

"  This  is  Athelney,"  the  fisherman  said,  "  a  good  hid- 
ing place  truly,  for,  as  you  see,  it  rises  high  over  the  sur- 
rounding country,  which  is  always  swampy  from  the 
waters  of  the  Parrot  and  Theme,  and  at  high  tides 
the  salt  water  of  the  sea  fills  all  these  waterways,  and  the 
trees  rise  from  a  broad  sheet  of  sea.  No  Dane  has  ever 
yet  set  foot  among  these  marshes;  and  were  there  but 
provisions  to  keep  them  alive,  a  safe  refuge  might  be 
found  on  this  island  for  hundreds  of  fugitives.  Will  you 
be  returning  to-night?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  tell  you,"  Edmund  replied ;  "  but  at 
any  rate  I  will  hire  you  and  your  boat  to  remain  at  my 
service  for  a  week,  and  will  pay  you  a  far  higher  price 
than  you  can  obtain  by  your  fishing." 

The  fisherman  readily  agreed,  and  Edmund  and  his 
companions  made  their  way  into  the  heart  of  the  island. 
It  was  of  some  extent,  and  rose  above  the  tree  tops  of 
the  surrounding  country.  Presently  they  came  to  a 
cottage.     A  man  came  out. 

"  What  do  you  seek?  "  he  asked. 

"  You  have  fugitives  in  refuge  here,"  Edmund  said. 
"  Know  you  if  among  them  is  our  good  King  Alfred?  " 

The  man  looked  astonished. 

"A  pretty  place  to  seek  for  a  king!"  he  replied. 
"  There  are  a  few  Saxons  in  hiding  here.  Some  live  by 
fishing,  some  chop  wood;  but  for  the  most  part  they  are 
an  idle  and  thriftless  lot,  and  methinks  have  fled  hither 


l6o.         THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

rather  to  escape  from  honest  work  or  to  avoid  the  penal- 
ties of  crimes  than  for  any  other  reason." 

"  How  may  we  find  them? "  Edmund  asked. 

"  They  are  scattered  over  the  island.  There  are  eight 
or  ten  dwellers  here  like  myself,  and  several  of  them  have 
one  or  more  of  these  fellows  with  them;  others  have  built 
huts  for  themselves  and  shift  as  they  can ;  but  it  is  a  hard 
shift,  I  reckon,  and  beechnuts  and  acorns,  eked  out  with 
an  occasional  fish  caught  in  the  streams,  are  all  they  have 
to  live  upon,  I  wonder  that  they  do  not  go  back  to 
honest  work  among  their  kinsfolk." 

"Ah!"  Edmund  said,  "you  do  not  know  here  how 
cruel  are  the  ravages  of  the  Danes ;  our  homes  are  broken 
up  and  our  villages  destroyed,  and  every  forest  in  the 
land  is  peopled  with  fugitive  Saxons.  Did  you  know 
that  you  would  speak  less  harshly  of  those  here.  At 
any  rate  the  man  I  seek  is  young  and  fair-looking,  and 
would,  I  should  think," — and  he  smiled  as  he  remem- 
bered Alfred's  studious  habits, — "  be  one  of  the  most 
shiftless  of  those  here." 

"  There  is  such  a  one,"  the  man  replied,  "  and  several 
times  friends  of  his  have  been  hither  to  see  him.  He 
dwells  at  my  next  neighbor's,  who  is  often  driven  well- 
nigh  out  of  her  mind — for  she  is  a  dame  with  a  shrewish 
tongue  and  sharp  temper — by  his  inattention.  She  only 
asks  of  him  that  he  will  cut  wood  and  keep  an  eye  over 
her  pigs,  which  wander  in  the  forest,  in  return  for  his 
food;  and  yet,  simple  as  are  his  duties,  he  is  forever  for- 
getting them.  I  warrant  me,  the  dame  would  not  so  long 
have  put  up  with  him  had  he  not  been  so  fair  and  help- 
less. However  bad-tempered  a  woman  may  be,  she  has 
always  a  tender  comer  in  her  heart  for  this  sort  of  fellow. 


THE   ISLE   OF    ATHELNEY.  l6l 

There,  you  can  take  this  path  through  the  trees  and 
follow  it  on;  it  will  take  you  straight  to  her  cottage." 

The  description  given  by  the  man  tallied  so  accurately 
with  that  of  the  king  that  Edmund  felt  confident  that 
he  was  on  the  right  track.  The  fact,  too,  that  from 
time  to  time  men  had  come  to  see  this  person  added 
to  the  probability  of  his  being  the  king.  Presently 
they  came  upon  the  hut.  A  number  of  pigs  were  feed- 
ing under  the  trees  around  it;  the  door  was  open,  and 
the  shrill  tones  of  a  woman's  voice  raised  in  anger  could 
be  heard  as  they  approached. 

"  You  are  an  idle  loon,  and  I  will  no  longer  put  up  with' 
your  ways,  and  you  may  seek  another  mistress.  You 
are  worse  than  useless  here.  I  do  but  ask  you  to  watch 
these  cakes  while  I  go  over  to  speak  with  my  neighbor, 
and  inquire  how  she  and  the  child  bom  yestereven  are 
getting  on,  and  you  go  to  sleep  by  the  fire  and  suffer  the 
cakes  to  burn. 

"  You  were  not  asleep,  you  say?  Then  so  much  the 
worse.  Where  were  your  eyes,  then?  and  where  was 
your  nose?  Why,  I  smelled  the  cakes  a  hundred  yards 
away,  and  you  sitting  over  them,  and  as  you  say  awake, 
neither  saw  them  burning  nor  smelled  them!  You  are 
enough  to  break  an  honest  woman's  heart  with  your 
mooning  ways.  You  are  ready  enough  to  eat  when  the 
mealtime  comes,  but  are  too  lazy  even  to  watch  the  food 
as  it  cooks.  I  tell  you  I  will  have  no  more  of  you.  I 
have  put  up  with  you  till  I  am  verily  ashamed  of  my  own 
patience;  but  this  is  too  much,  and  you  must  go  your 
way,  for  I  will  have  no  more  of  you." 

At  this  moment  Edmund  and  Egbert  appeared  at  the 
door  of  the  hut.     As  he  had  expected  from  the  nature  of 


l62  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

the  colloquy,  Edmund  saw  King  Alfred  standing  contrite 
and  ashamed  before  the  angry  dame. 

"  My  beloved  sovereign ! "  he  cried,  running  in  and 
falling  on  his  knee. 

"  My  trusted  Edmund,"  Alfred  exclaimed  cordially, 
"  right  glad  am  I  to  see  you,  and  you  too,  my  valiant 
Egbert;  truly)  T  eared  that  the  good  ship  Dragon  had 
long  since  fallen  into  the  hands  of  our  enemy." 

"  The  Dragon  lies  not  many  miles  hence,  your  majesty, 
in  the  hole  in  which  she  was  built,  by  the  river  Parrot. 
She  has  done  bravely  and  has  brought  home  a  rich  store 
of  booty,  a  large  share  of  which  has  been  hidden  away 
for  your  majesty,  and  can  be  brought  here  in  a  few  hours 
should  you  wish  it." 

"  Verily  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  Edmund,  for  I  have  long 
been  penniless;  and  I  have  great  need  of  something  at 
least  to  pay  this  good  woman  for  all  the  trouble  she  has 
been  at  with  me,  and  for  her  food  which  my  carelessness 
has  destroyed,  as  you  may  have  heard  but  now." 

Edmund  and  Egbert  joined  in  the  king's  merry  laugh. 
The  dame  looked  a  picture  of  consternation  and  fell  upon 
her  knees. 

"Pardon  me,  your  majesty!"  she  cried.  "To  think 
that  I  have  ventured  to  abuse  our  good  King  Alfred, 
and  have  even  in  mine  anger  lifted  my  hand  against 
him!" 

"  And  with  right  good-will  too,"  the  king  said,  laugh- 
ing. "  Never  fear,  good  dame;  your  tongue  has  been 
rough  but  your  heart  has  been  kindly,  or  never  would 
you  have  borne  so  long  with  so  shiftless  a  serving  man. 
But  leave  us  now,  I  pray  ye,  for  I  have  much  to  say  to 
my  good  friends  here.     And  now,  Edmund,  what  news 


THE   ISLE   OF   ATHELNEY.  163 

do  you  bring?  I  do  not  ask  after  the  doings  of  the 
Dragon,  for  that  no  doubt  is  a  long  story  which  you  shall 
tell  me  later,  but  how  fares  it  with  my  kingdom?  I  have 
been  in  correspondence  with  several  of  my  thanes,  who 
have  from  time  to  time  sent  me  news  of  what  passes  with- 
out. From  what  they  say  I  deem  that  the .  time  for 
action  is  at  last  nigh  at  hand.  The  people  are  every- 
where desperate  at  the  oppression  and  exactions  of  the 
Danes,  and  are  ready  to  risk  everything  to  free  them- 
selves from  so  terrible  a  yoke.  I  fled  here  and  gave  up 
the  strife  because  the  Saxons  deemed  anything  better 
than  further  resistance.  Now  that  they  have  found  out 
their  error  it  is  time  to  be  stirring  again." 

"  That  is  so,"  Edmund  said.  "  Egbert  and  I  have 
found  the  people  desperate  at  their  slavery,  and  ready  to 
risk  all,  did  a  leader  but  appear.  My  own  people  will 
all  take  up  arms  the  instant  they  receive  my  summons; 
they  have  before  now  proved  their  valor,  and  in  my  crew 
of  the  Dragon  you  have  a  body  which  will,  I  warrant  me, 
pierce  through  any  Danish  line." 

"  This  tallies  with  what  I  have  heard,"  Alfred  said, 
"  and  in  the  spring  I  will  again  raise  my  banner;  but  in 
the  meantime  I  will  fortify  this  place.  There  are  but  two 
or  three  spots  where  boats  can  penetrate  through  the 
morasses;  were  strong  stockades  and  banks  erected  at 
each  landing  place  we  might  hold  the  island,  in  case  of 
defeat,  against  any  number  of  the  enemy." 

"  That  shall  be  done,"  Edmund  said,  "  and  quickly. 
I  have  a  messenger  here  with  me,  and  others  waiting 
outside  the  swamp,  and  can  send  and  bring  my  crew  of 
the  Dragon  here  at  once." 

"  Let  that  be  one  man's  mission,"  the  king  said ;  "  the 


l64  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Others  I  will  send  oflf  with  messages  to  the  thanes  of 
Somerset,  who  are  only  awaiting  my  summons  to  take 
up  arms.  I  will  bid  them  send  hither  strong  working 
parties,  but  to  make  no  show  in  arms  until  Easter,  at 
which  time  I  will  again  spread  the  Golden  Dragon  to 
the  winds.  The  treasure  you  speak  of  will  be  right  wel- 
come, for  all  are  so  impoverished  by  the  Danes  that  they 
live  but  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  we  must  at  least  buy 
provisions  to  maintain  the  parties  working  here.  Arms, 
too,  must  be  made,  for  although  many  have  hidden  their 
weapons,  the  Danes  have  seized  vast  quantities,  having 
issued  an  order  that  any  Saxon  found  with  arms  shall  be 
at  once  put  to  death.  Money  will  be  needed  to  set  all 
the  smithies  to  work  at  the  manufacture  of  pikes  and 
swords.  Hides  must  be  bought  for  the  manufacture 
of  shields.  It  will  be  best  to  send  orders  to  the  ealdor- 
men  and  thanes  to  send  hither  privately  the  smiths, 
armorers,  and  shield-makers  in  the  villages  and  towns. 
They  cannot  work  with  the  Danes  ever  about,  but  must 
set  up  smithies  here.  They  must  bring  their  tools  and 
such  iron  as  they  can  carry;  what  more  is  required  we 
must  buy  at  the  large  towns  and  bring  privately  in  carts 
to  the  edge  of  the  morass.  The  utmost  silence  and 
secrecy  must  be  observed,  that  the  Danes  may  obtain  no 
news  of  our  preparations  until  we  are  ready  to  burst  out 
upon  them." 

A  fortnight  later  Athelney  presented  a  changed  appear- 
ance. A  thousand  men  were  gathered  there.  Trees 
had  been  cut  down,  a  strong  fort  erected  on  the  highest 
ground,  and  formidable  works  constructed  at  the  three 
points  where  alone  a  landing  could  be  effected.  The 
smoke  rose  from  a  score  of  great  mounds,  where  char- 


THE    ISLE   or   ATHELNEY,  165 

coal  burners  were  converting  timber  into  fuel  for  the 
forges.  Fifty  smitlis  and  armorers  were  working  vigor- 
ously at  forges  in  the  open  air,  roofs  thatched  with  rushes 
and  supported  by  poles  being  erected  over  them  to  keep 
the  rain  and  snow  from  the  fires.  A  score  of  boats  were 
threading  the  mazes  of  the  marshes,  bringing  men  and 
cattle  to  the  island.  All  was  bustle  and  activity,  every 
face  shone  with  renewed  hope.  King  Alfred  himself  and 
his  thanes  moved  to  and  fro  among  the  workers,  encour- 
aging them  at  their  labors. 

Messengers  came  and  went  in  numbers,  and  from  all 
parts  of  Wessex  King  Alfred  received  news  of  the  joy 
which  his  people  felt  at  the  tidings  that  he  was  again 
about  to  raise  his  standard,  and  of  the  readiness  of  all  to 
obey  his  summons.  So  well  was  the  secret  kept  that  no 
rumor  of  the  storm  about  to  burst  upon  them  reached 
the  Danes.  The  people,  rejoicing  and  eager  as  they 
were,  suffered  no  evidence  of  their  feelings  to  be  apparent 
to  their  cruel  masters,  who,  believing  the  Saxons  to  be 
finally  crushed,  were  lulled  into  a  false  security.  The 
king^s  treasure  had  been  brought  from  its  hiding  place 
to  Athelney,  and  Edmund  and  Egbert  had  also  handed 
over  their  own  share  of  the  booty  to  the  king.  The 
golden  cups  and  goblets  he  had  refused  to  take,  but  had 
gladly  accepted  the  silver. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  had  left  Athelney  for  a  few  days 
on  a  mission.  The  king  had  described  to  them  minutely 
where  he  had  hidden  the  sacred  standard  with  the  Golden 
Dragon.  It  was  in  the  hut  of  a  charcoal  burner,  in  the 
heart  of  the  forests  of  Wiltshire.  Upon  reaching  the 
hut,  and  showing  to  the  man  the  king's  signet  ring, 
which,  when  leaving  the  standard,  he  had  told  him  would 


l66  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

be  the  signal  that  any  who  might  come  for  it  were  sent 
by  him,  the  man  produced  the  standard  from  the  thatch 
of  his  cottage,  in  which  it  was  deeply  buried,  and  hear- 
ing that  it  was  again  to  be  unfurled,  called  his  two  stal- 
wart sons  from  their  work  and  at  once  set  out  with 
Edmund  and  Egbert  to  join  the  army. 

Easter  came  and  went,  but  the  preparations  were  not 
yet  completed.  A  vast  supply  of  arms  was  needed,  and 
while  the  smiths  labored  at  their  work  Edmund  and 
Egbert  drilled  the  fighting  men  who  had  assembled  in 
the  tactics  which  had  on  a  small  scale  proved  so  effective. 
The  wedge  shape  was  retained,  and  Edmund's  own  band 
claimed  the  honor  of  forming  the  apex,  but  it  had  now 
swollen  until  it  contained  a  thousand  men,  and  as  it 
moved  in  a  solid  body,  with  its  thick  edge  of  spears  out- 
ward, the  king  felt  confident  that  it  would  be  able  to 
break  through  the  strongest  line  of  the  Danes. 

From  morning  till  night  Edmund  and  Egbert,  assisted 
by  the  thanes  of  Somerset  who  had  gathered  there,  drilled 
the  men  and  taught  them  to  rally  rapidly  from  scattered 
order  into  solid  formation.  Unaccustomed  to  regular 
tactics,  the  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  these  move- 
ments came  to  be  carried  out  at  the  notes  of  Edmund's 
bugle  seemed  to  all  to  be  little  less  than  miraculous,  and 
they  awaited  with  confidence  and  eagerness  their  meet- 
ing with  the  Danes  on  the  field. 

At  the  end  of  April  messengers  were  sent  out  bidding 
the  Saxons  hold  themselves  in  readiness,  and  on  the  6th 
of  May  Alfred  moved  with  his  force  from  Athelney  to 
Egbertes-stan  (now  called  Brixton),  lying  to  the  east  of 
the  forest  of  Selwood,  which  lay  between  Devonshire  and 
Somerset.    The  Golden  Dragon  had  been  unfurled  on 


THE   ISLE   OF    ATHELKEY.  167 

the  fort  in  Athelney,  and  after  crossing  the  marshes  to 
the  mainland  it  was  carried  in  the  center  of  the  phalanx. 

On  the  1 2th  they  reached  the  appointed  place,  where 
they  found  a  great  multitude  of  Saxons  already  gathered. 
They  had  poured  in  from  Devonshire,  Somerset,  and 
Wiltshire,  from  Dorset  and  Hants.  In  spite  of  the 
vigorous  edicts  of  the  Danes  against  arms,  a  great  pro- 
portion of  them  bore  weapons,  which  had  been  buried  in 
the  earth,  or  concealed  in  hollow  trees  or  other  hiding 
places  until  the  time  for  action  should  again  arrive. 

As  they  saw  the  king  approaching  at  the  head  of  his 
band,  with  the  Golden  Dragon  fluttering  in  the  breeze, 
a  great  shout  of  joy  arose  from  the  multitude,  and  they 
crowded  round  the  monarch  with  shouts  of  welcome  at 
his  reappearance  among  them,  and  with  vows  to  die 
rather  than  again  to  yield  to  the  tyranny  of  the  North- 
men. The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  distributing  the 
newly  fashioned  arms  to  those  who  needed  them,  and  in 
arranging  the  men  in  bands  under  their  own  thanes,  or, 
in  their  absence,  such  leaders  as  the  king  appointed. 

Upon  the  following  morning  the  army  started,  march- 
ing in  a  northeasterly  direction  against  the  great  camp 
of  the  Danes  at  Chippenham.  That  night  they  rested 
at  Okeley,  and  then  marched  on  until  in  the  afternoon 
they  came  within  sight  of  the  Danes  gathered  at  Ethan- 
dune,  a  place  supposed  to  be  identical  with  Edington 
near  Westbury. 

As  the  time  for  Alfred's  reappearance  approached  the 
agitation  and  movement  on  the  part  of  the  people  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  Danes,  and  the  news  of  his 
summons  to  the  Saxons  to  meet  him  at  Egbertes-stan 
having  come  to  their  ears,  they  gathered  hastily  from  all 


368  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

parts  under  Guthorn  their  king,  who  was  by  far  the  most 
powerful  viking  who  had  yet  appeared  in  England,  and 
who  ruled  East  Anglia  as  well  as  Wessex.  Confident  of 
victory,  the  great  Danish  army  beheld  the  approach  of 
the  Saxons.  Long  accustomed  to  success,  and  superior 
in  numbers,  they  regarded  with  something  like  contempt 
the  approach  of  their  foes. 

In  the  center  Alfred  placed  the  trained  phalanx  which 
had  accompanied  him  from  Athelney,  in  the  center  of 
which  waved  the  Golden  Dragon,  by  whose  side  he 
placed  himself.  Its  command  he' left  in  the  hands  of 
Edmund,  he  himself  directing  the  general  movements  of 
the  force.  On  his  right  were  the  men  of  Somerset  and 
Hants;  on  the  left  those  of  Wilts,  Dorset,  and  Devon. 

His  orders  were  that  the  advance  was  to  be  made 
with  regularity;  that  the  whole  line  were  to  fight  for  a 
while  on  the  defensive,  resisting  the  onslaught  of  the 
Danes  until  he  gave  the  word  for  the  central  phalanx  to 
advance  and  burst  through  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  and 
that,  when  these  had  been  thrown  into  confusion  by  this 
attack,  the  flanks  were  to  charge  forward  and  complete 
the  rout.  This  plan  was  carried  out.  The  Danes  ad- 
vanced with  their  usual  impetuosity,  and  for  hours  tried 
to  break  through  the  lines  of  the  Saxon  spears.  Both 
sides  fought  valiantly,  the  Danes  inspired  by  their  pride 
in  their  personal  prowess  and  their  contempt  for  the 
Saxons;  the  Saxons  by  their  hatred  for  their  oppressors 
and  their  determination  to  die  rather  than  again  submit 
to  their  bondage.  At  length,  after  the  battle  had  raged 
some  hours,  and  both  parties  were  becoming  wearied 
from  their  exertions,  the  king  gave  Edmund  the  order. 

Hitherto  his  men  had  fought  in  line  with  the  rest;  but 


THE   ISLE   OF    ATHELNEY.  1 69 

at  the  sound  of  his  bugle  they  quitted  their  places,  and 
ere  the  Danes  could  understand  the  meaning  of  this  sud- 
den movement,  had  formed  themselves  into  their  wedge, 
raised  a  mighty  shout,  and  advanced  against  the  enemy. 
The  onslaught  was  irresistible.  The  great  wedge,  with 
its  thick  fringe  of  spears,  burst  its  way  straight  through 
the  Danish  center,  carrying  all  before  it-  Then,  at  an- 
other note  of  Edmund's  bugle,  it  broke  up  into  two 
bodies,  which  moved  solidly  to  the  right  and  left,  crum- 
pling up  the  Danish  lines. 

Alfred  now  gave  the  order  for  a  general  advance,  and 
the  Saxon  ranks,  with  a  shout  of  triumph,  flung  them- 
selves upon  the  disordered  Danes.  Their  success  was 
instant  and  complete.  Confounded  at  the  sudden  break- 
up of  their  line,  bewildered  by  these  new  and  formidable 
tactics,  attacked  in  front  and  in  flank,  the  Danes  broke 
and  fled.  The  Saxons  pursued  them  hotly,  Edmund 
keeping  his  men  well  together,  in  case  the  Danes  should 
rally.  Their  rout,  however,  was  too  complete;  vast 
numbers  were  slain,  and  the  remnant  of  their  army  did 
not  pause  until  they  found  themselves  within  the  shelter 
of  their  camp  at  Chippenham. 

No  quarter  was  given  by  the  Saxons  to  those  who  fell 
into  their  hands,  and,  pressing  upon  the  heels  of  the  fly- 
ing Danes,  the  victorious  army  of  King  Alfred  sat  down 
before  Chippenham.  Every  hour  brought  fresh  re- 
enforcements  to  the  king's  standard.  Many  were  already 
on  their  way  when  the  battle  was  fought;  and  as  the  news 
of  the  victory  spread  rapidly,  every  man  of  the  West 
Saxons  capable  of  bearing  arms  made  for  Chippenham, 
feeling  that  now  or  never  must  a  complete  victory  ovef 
the  Danes  be  obtained. 


170  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

No  assault  was  made  upon  the  Danish  camp.  Con- 
fident in  his  now  vastly  superior  numbers,  and  in  the 
enthusiasm  which  reigned  in  his  army,  Alfred  was  un- 
willing to  waste  a  single  life  in  an  attack  upon  the  in- 
trenchments,  which  must  ere  long  surrender  from  famine. 
There  was  no  risk  of  re-enforcements  arriving  to  relieve 
the  Danes.  Guthorn  had  led  to  the  battle  the  whole 
fighting  force  of  the  Danes  in  Wessex  and  East  Anglia. 
This  was  far  smaller  than  it  would  have  been  a  year 
earlier;  but  the  Northmen,  having  once  completed  their 
work  of  pillage,  soon  turned  to  fresli  fields  of  adventure. 
Those  whose  disposition  led  them  to  prefer  a  quiet  life 
had  settled  upon  the  land  from  which  they  had  dispos- 
sessed the  Saxons;  but  the  principal  bands  of  rovers, 
finding  that  England  was  exhausted  and  that  no  more 
plunder  could  be  had,  had  either  gone  back  to  enjoy  at 
home  the  booty  they  had  gained,  or  had  sailed  to  harry 
the  shores  of  France,  Spain,  and  Italy. 

Thus,  the  position  of  the  Danes  in  Chippenham  was 
desperate,  and  at  the  end  of  fourteen  days,  by  which 
time  they  were  reduced  to  an  extremity  by  hunger,  they 
sent  messengers  into  the  royal  camp  offering  their  sub- 
mission. They  promised,  if  spared,  to  quit  the  kingdom 
with  all  speed,  and  to  observe  this  contract  more  faith- 
fully than  those  which  they  had  hitherto  made  and 
broken.  They  offered  the  king  as  many  hostages  as  he 
might  wish  to  take  for  the  fulfillment  of  their  promises. 
The  haggard  and  emaciated  condition  of  those  who  came 
out  to  treat  moved  Alfred  to  pity. 

So  weakened  were  they  by  famine  that  they  could 
scarce  drag  themselves  along.  It  would  have  been  easy 
for  the  Saxons  to  have  slain  them  to  the  last  man;  and 


THE    ISLE   OF    ATHELNEV.  I7I 

the  majority  of  the  Saxons,  smarting  under  the  memory 
of  the  cruel  oppression  which  they  had  suffered,  the 
destruction  of  home  and  property,  and  the  slaughter  of 
friends  and  relations,  would  fain  have  exterminated  their 
foes.     King  Alfred,  however,  thought  otherwise. 

Guthorn  and  the  Danes  had  effected  a  firm  settlement 
in  East  Anglia,  and  lived  at  amity  with  the  Saxons  there. 
They  had,  it  is  true,  wrested  from  them  the  greatest  por- 
tion of  their  lands.  Still  peace  and  order  were  now  estab- 
lished. The  Saxons  were  allowed  liberty  and  equal 
rights.  Intermarriages  were  taking  place,  and  the  two 
peoples  were  becoming  welded  into  one.  Alfred  then 
considered  that  it  would  be  well  to  have  the  king  of  this 
country  as  an  ally;  he  and  his  settled  people  would  soon 
be  as  hostile  to  further  incursions  of  the  Northmen  as 
were  the  Saxons  themselves,  and  their  interests  and  those 
of  Wessex  would  be  identical. 

Did  he,  on  the  other  hand,  carry  out  a  general  mas- 
sacre of  the  Danes  now  in  his  power,  he  might  have 
brought  upon  England  a  fresh  invasion  of  Northmen, 
who,  next  to  plunder,  loved  revenge,  and  who  might 
come  over  in  great  hosts  to  avenge  the  slaughter  of  their 
countrymen.  Moved,  then,  by  motives  of  policy  as  well 
as  by  compassion,  he  granted  the  terms  they  asked,  and, 
hostages  having  been  sent  in  from  the  camp,  he  ordered 
provisions  to  be  supplied  to  the  Danes. 

The  same  night  a  messenger  erf  rank  came  in  from 
Guthom  saying  that  he  intended  to  embrace  Christianity. 
The  news  filled  Alfred  and  the  Saxons  with  joy.  The 
king,  a  sincere  and  devoted  Christian,  had  fought  as 
much  for  his  religion  as  for  his  kingdom,  and  his  joy  at 
the  prospect  of  Guthom's  conversion,  which  would  as  a 


172  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

matter  of  course  be  followed  by  that  of  his  subjects,  was 
deep  and  sincere. 

To  the  Saxons  generally  the  temporal  consequence  of 
the  conversion  had  no  doubt  greater  weight  than  the 
spiritual.  The  conversion  of  Guthorn  and  the  Danes 
would  be  a  pledge  far  more  binding  than  any  oaths  of 
alliance  between  the  two  kingdoms.  Guthorn  and  his 
followers  would  be  viewed  with  hostility  by  their  country- 
men, whose  hatred  of  Christianity  was  intense,  and  East 
Anglia  would,  therefore,  naturally  seek  the  close  alliance 
and  assistance  of  its  Christian  neighbor. 

Great  were  the  rejoicings  in  the  Saxon  camp  that 
night.  Seldom,  indeed,  has  a  victory  had  so  great  and 
decisive  an  effect  upon  the  future  of  a  nation  as  that  of 
Ethandune.  Had  the  Saxons  been  crushed,  the  domina- 
tion of  the  Danes  in  England  would  have  been  finally 
settled.  Christianity  would  have  been  stamped  out,  and 
with  it  civilization,  and  the  island  would  have  made  a 
backward  step  into  paganism  and  barbarism  which  might 
have  delayed  her  progress  for  centuries. 

The  victory  established  the  freedom  of  Wessex,  con- 
verted East  Anglia  into  a  settled  and  Christian  country, 
and  enabled  King  Alfred  to  frame  the  wise  laws  and 
statutes  and  to  establish  on  a  firm  basis  the  institutions 
which  raised  Saxon  England  vastly  in  the  scale  of  civili- 
zation, and  have  in  no  small  degree  affected  the  whole 
course  of  life  of  the  English  people. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FOUR    YEARS    OF    PEACE. 

Seven  weeks  afterward  Guthorn,  accompanied  by 
thirty  of  his  noblest  warriors,  entered  Alfred's  camp, 
which  was  pitched  at  Aller,  a  place  not  far  from  Athelney. 
An  altar  was  erected  and  a  solemn  service  performed, 
and  Guthorn  and  his  companions  were  all  baptized, 
Alfred  himself  becoming  sponsor  for  Guthorn,  whose 
name  was  changed  to  Athelstan.  The  Danes  remained 
for  twelve  days  in  the  Saxon  camp.  For  the  first  eight 
they  wore,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  times, 
the  chrismal,  a  white  linen  cloth  put  on  the  head  when 
the  rite  of  baptism  was  performed;  on  the  eighth  day  the 
solemn  ceremony  known  as  the  chrism,  the  loosing  or 
removal  of  the  cloths,  took  place  at  Wedmore.  This  was 
performed  by  the  Ealdorman  Ethelnoth. 

During  these  twelve  days  many  conferences  were  held 
between  Alfred  and  Athelstan  as  to  the  future  of  the  two 
kingdoms.  While  the  Danes  were  still  in  the  camp  a 
witenagemot  or  Saxon  parliament  was  held  at  Wedmore. 
At  this  Athelstan  and  many  of  the  nobles  and  inhabitants 
of  East  Anglia  were  present,  and  the  boundary  of  the  two 
kingdoms  was  settled.  It  was  to  commence  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Thames,  to  run  along  the  river  Lea  to  its  source, 
and  at  Bedford  turn  to  the  right  along  the  Ouse  as  far  as 
Watling  Street.     According  to  this  arrangement  a  con- 

»73 


174  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

siderable  portion  of  the  kingdom  of  Mercia  fell  to 
Alfred's  share. 

The  treaty  comprehended  various  rules  for  the  con- 
duct of  commerce,  and  courts  were  instituted  for  the  trial 
of  disputes  and  crimes.  The  Danes  did  not  at  once  leave 
Mercia,  but  for  a  considerable  time  lay  in  camp  at  Ciren- 
cester; but  all  who  refused  to  become  Christians  were 
ordered  to  depart  beyond  the  seas,  and  the  Danes  gradu- 
ally withdrew  within  their  boundary. 

Guthom's  conversion,  although  no  doubt  brought 
about  at  the  moment  by  his  admiration  of  the  clemency, 
of  Alfred,  had  probably  been  for  some  time  projected  by, 
him.  Mingling  as  his  people  did  in  East  Anglia  with  the 
Christian  Saxons  there,  he  must  have  had  opportunities 
for  learning  the  nature  of  their  tenets,  and  of  contrasting 
their  mild  and  beneficent  teaching  with  the  savage  wor- 
ship of  the  pagan  gods.  By  far  the  greater  proportion  of 
his  people  followed  their  king's  example;  but  the  wilder 
spirits  quitted  the  country,  and  under  their  renowned 
leader  Hastings  sailed  to  harry  the  shores  of  France. 
The  departure  of  the  more  turbulent  portion  of  his  fol- 
lowers rendered  it  more  easy  for  the  Danish  king  to  carry 
his  plans  into  effect. 

After  the  holding  of  the  witan  Edmund  and  Egbert 
at  once  left  the  army  with  their  followers,  and  for  some 
months  the  young  ealdorman  devoted  himself  to  the 
work  of  restoring  the  shattered  homes  of  his  people,  aid- 
ing them  with  loans  from  the  plunder  he  had  gained  on 
the  seas,  Alfred  having  at  once  repaid  him  the  sums 
which  he  had  lent  at  Athelney.  As  so  many  of  his  fol- 
lowers had  also  brought  home  money  after  their  voyage, 
the  work  of  rebuilding  and  restoration  went  on  rapidly, 


FOUR   YEARS   OF   PEACE.  175 

and  in  a  few  months  the  marks  left  of  the  ravages  by  the 
Danes  had  been  well-nigh  effaced. 

Flocks  and  herds  again  grazed  in  the  pastures,  herds 
of  swine  roamed  in  the  woods,  the  fields  were  cultivated, 
and  the  houses  rebuilt.  In  no  part  of  Wessex  was  pros- 
perity so  speedily  re-established  as  in  the  district  round 
Sherborne  governed  by  Edmund.  The  Dragon  was 
thoroughly  overhauled  and  repaired,  for  none  could  say 
how  soon  fresh  fleets  of  the  Northmen  might  make  their 
appearance  upon  the  southern  shores  of  England.  It 
was  not  long,  indeed,  before  the  Northmen  reappeared,  a 
great  fleet  sailing  up  the  Thames  at  the  beginning  of  the 
winter.  It  ascended  as  high  as  Fulham,  where  a  great 
camp  was  formed.  Seeing  that  the  Saxons  and  East 
Anglians  would  unite  against  them  did  they  advance 
further,  the  Danes  remained  quietly  in  their  encampment 
during  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  again  took  ship  and 
sailed  for  France, 

For  the  next  two  years  England  enjoyed  comparative 
quiet,  the  Danes  turning  their  attention  to  France  and 
Holland,  sailing  up  the  Maas,  Scheldt,  Somme,  and 
Seine.  Spreading  from  these  rivers  they  carried  fire 
and  sword  over  a  great  extent  of  country.  The  Franks 
resisted  bravely,  and  in  two  pitched  battles  defeated  their 
invaders  with  great  loss.  The  struggle  going  on  across 
the  Channel  was  watched  with  great  interest  by  the 
Saxons,  who  at  first  hoped  to  see  the  Danes  completely 
crushed  by  the  Franks, 

The  ease,  however,  with  which  the  Northmen  moved 
from  point  to  point  in  their  ships,  gave  them  such 
immense  advantage  that  their  defeats  at  Hasle  and  Sau- 
court  in  no  way  checked  their  depredations.     Appear- 


Il6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

ing  suddenly  off  the  coast,  or  penetrating  into  the  interiw^ 
by  a  river,  their  hordes  would  land,  ravage  the  country, 
slay  all  who  opposed  them,  and  carry  off  the  women  and 
children  captives,  and  would  then  take  to  their  ships 
again  before  the  leaders  of  the  Franks  could  assemble 
an  army. 

Alfred  spent  this  time  of  repose  in  restoring  as  far  as 
possible  the  loss  and  damage  which  his  kingdom  had 
suffered.  Many  wise  laws  were  passed,  churches  were 
rebuilt,  and  order  restored;  great  numbers  of  the  monks 
and  wealthier  people  who  had  fled  to  France  in  the  days 
of  the  Danish  supremacy  now  returned  to  England,  which 
was  for  the  time  freer  from  danger  than  the  land  in 
which  they  had  sought  refuge;  and  many  Franks  from 
the  districts  exposed  to  the  Danish  ravages  came  over 
and  settled  in  England. 

Gradually  the  greater  part  of  England  acknowledged 
the  rule  of  Alfred.  The  kingdom  of  Kent  was  again 
united  to  that  of  Wessex;  while  Mercia,  which  extended 
across  the  center  of  England  from  Anglia  to  Wales,  was 
governed  for  Alfred  by  Ethelred  the  ealdorman,  who 
was  the  head  of  the  powerful  family  of  the  Hwiccas,  and 
had  received  the  hand  of  Alfred's  daughter  Ethelfleda. 
He  ruled  Mercia  according  to  its  own  laws  and  customs, 
which  differed  materially  from  those  of  the  West  Saxons, 
and  which  prevented  a  more  perfect  union  of  the  two 
kingdoms  until  WilUam  the  Conqueror  welded  the  whole 
country  into  a  single  whole.  But  Ethelred  acknowl- 
edged the  supremacy  of  Alfred,  consulted  him  upon  all 
occasions  of  importance,  and  issued  all  his  edicts  and 
orders  in  the  king's  name.  He  was  ably  assisted  by 
Werfrith,  the  Bishop  of  Worcester.    The  energy  and 


FOUR   YEARS   OF   PEACE.  1 77 

activity  of  these  leaders  enabled  Mercia  to  keep  abreast 
of  Wessex  in  the  onward  progress  which  Alfred  labored 
so  indefatigably  to  promote. 

Edmund,  when  not  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  his 
earldom,  spent  much  of  his  time  with  the  king,  who  saw 
in  him  a  spirit  of  intelligence  and  activity  which  re- 
sembled his  own.  Edmund  was,  however,  of  a  less 
studious  disposition  than  his  royal  master;  and  though 
he  so  far  improved  his  education  as  to  be  able  to  read 
and  write  well,  Alfred  could  not  persuade  him  to  under- 
take the  study  of  Latin,  being,  as  he  said,  well  content  to 
master  some  of  the  learning  of  that  people  by  means  of 
the  king's  translations. 

At  the  end  of  another  two  years  of  peace  Edmund  was 
again  called  upon  to  take  up  arms.  Although  the  Danes 
attempted  no  fresh  invasion,  some  of  their  ships  hung 
around  the  English  coast,  capturing  vessels,  interfering 
with  trade,  and  committing  other  acts  of  piracy. 

Great  complaints  were  made  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
seaports  to  Alfred.  The  king  at  once  begged  Edmund 
to  fit  out  the  Dragon,  and,  collecting  a  few  other  smaller 
ships,  he  took  his  place  on  Edmund's  ship  and  sailed  in 
search  of  the  Danes.  After  some  search  they  came  upon 
the  four  large  ships  of  the  Northmen  which  had  been  a 
scourge  to  the  coast. 

The  Saxons  at  once  engaged  them,  and  a  desperate 
fight  took  place.  The  Dragon  was  laid  alongside  the 
largest  of  the  Danish  vessels ;  and  the  king,  with  Edmund 
and  Egbert  by  his  side,  leaped  on  to  the  deck  of  the 
Danish  vessel,  followed  by  the  crew  of  the  Dragon.  The 
Danish  ship  was  crowded  with  men,  who  fought  des- 
perately, but  the  discipline  even  more  than  the  courage 


178  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

of  Edmund's  crew  secured  for  them  the  victory.  For  a 
time  each  fought  for  himself;  and  although  inspired  by 
the  presence  of  the  king,  they  were  able  to  gain  no  advan- 
tage, being  much  outnumbered  by  the  Northmen. 

Edmund,  seeing  this,  sounded  on  his  horn  the  signal 
with  which  in  battle  he  ordered  the  men  to  form  their 
wedge.  The  signal  was  instantly  obeyed.  The  Saxons 
were  all  fighting  with  boarding  pikes  against  the  North- 
men's swords  and  axes,  for  they  had  become  used  to  these 
weapons  and  preferred  them  to  any  other. 

The  instant  Edmund's  horn  was  heard,  each  man 
desisted  from  fighting  and  rushed  to  their  leader,  around 
whom  they  instantly  formed  in  their  accustomed  order. 
The  Danes,  astonished  at  the  sudden  cessation  of  the 
battle,  and  understanding  nothing  of  the  meaning  of  the 
signal  or  of  the  swift  movement  of  the  Saxons,  for  a 
minute  lowered  their  weapons  in  surprise. 

Before  they  again  rushed  forward  the  formation  was 
complete,  and  in  a  close  body  with  leveled  spears  the 
Saxons  advanced,  Egbert  as  usual  leading  the  way,  with 
Edmund  and  the  king  in  the  center. 

In  vain  the  Danes  strove  to  resist  the  onset;  in  spite 
of  their  superior  numbers  they  were  driven  back  step  by 
step  until  crowded  in  a  close  mass  at  one  end. 

Still  the  Saxon  line  of  spears  pressed  on.  Many  of 
the  Danes  leaped  into  the  sea,  others  were  pushed  over 
or  run  through,  and  in  a  few  minutes  not  a  Northman 
remained  alive  in  the  captured  vessel. 

In  the  meantime  the  battle  was  raging  in  other  parts. 
Two  of  the  small  vessels  were  engaged  with  one  of  the 
Danes  at  close  quarters,  while  the  other  ships  hung 


FOUR   YEARS   OF    PEACE.  1 79 

around  the  remaining  Danish  vessels  and  kept  up  volleys 
of  arrows  and  javelins  upon  them. 

The  Dragon  at  once  went  to  the  assistance  of  the  two 
Saxon  ships,  whose  crews  were  almost  overpowered  by 
the  Northmen.  Laying  the  ship  alongside,  Edmund 
boarded  the  Danes.  The  Northmen  rushed  back  from 
the  decks  of  the  Saxon  ship  to  defend  their  own  vessel; 
and  the  Saxons,  regaining  courage,  at  once  rallied  and 
followed  them.  The  combat  was  short  but  desperate. 
Attacked  on  three  sides,  the  Danes  were  speedily  over- 
come and  were  slaughtered  to  a  man. 

An  attack  was  next  made  upon  the  two  remaining 
vessels.  These  resisted  for  some  time,  but  they  were 
overwhelmed  by  the  missiles  from  the  Saxon  flotilla; 
and  the  greater  portion  of  their  crews  being  killed  or 
wounded,  their  commanders  prayed  for  mercy,  which 
was  granted  them  by  Alfred;  and  with  the  four  captured 
vessels  the  fleet  returned  to  England. 

On  reaching  port  Alfred  begged  Edmund  to  continue 
for  a  while  with  the  Dragon,  to  cruise  along  the  coasts 
and  to  stop  the  depredations  of  the  Danes ;  and  for  some 
weeks  the  Dragon  kept  the  seas.  She  met  with  con- 
siderable success,  capturing  many  Danish  galleys.  Some 
of  these  contained  rich  spoil,  which  had  been  gathered 
in  France,  for  cruising  in  the  seas  off  Dover  Edmund 
intercepted  many  of  the  Danish  vessels  on  their  home- 
ward way  from  raids  up  the  Seine,  Garonne,  and  other 
French  rivers. 

One  day,  in  the  excitement  of  a  long  pursuit  of  a 
Danish  galley,  which  finally  succeeded  in  making  her 
escape,  Edmund  had  paid  less  attention  than  usual  to 


l8o  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

the  weather,  and,  on  giving  up  the  chase  as  hopeless, 
perceived  that  the  sky  had  become  greatly  overcast,  while 
the  wind  was  rising  rapidly. 

"  We  are  in  for  a  storm  from  the  north,  Egbert,"  he 
said,  "  and  we  must  make  for  the  mouth  of  the  Thames 
for  shelter." 

The  sails  were  lowered,  and  the  Dragon's  head  turned 
west.  Before  two  hours  had  passed  the  sea  had  risen 
so  greatly  that  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  row. 

"  What  had  we  best  do?  "  Edmund  asked  the  chief  of 
the  sailors.  "  Think  you  that  we  can  make  Dover  and 
shelter  under  the  cliffs  there?  " 

"  I  fear  that  we  cannot  do  so,"  the  sailor  replied,  "  for 
there  are  terrible  sands  and  shallows  off  the  Kentish 
coast  between  the  mouth  of  the  Thames  and  Dover,  and 
the  wind  blows  so  strongly  that  we  can  do  naught  but 
run  before  it." 

"  Then  let  us  do  so,"  Edmund  replied,  "  anything  is 
better  than  being  tossed  thus  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.'* 

A  sail  was  hoisted,  and  the  Dragon  flew  along  before 
the  wind.  The  storm  increased  in  fury,  and  for  some 
hours  the  vessel  ran  before  it.  She  was  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  French  coast,  and  as  the  wind  veered 
round  more  to  the  west  her  danger  became  great. 

"  I  fear  we  shall  be  cast  ashore,"  Edmund  said  to  the 
sailor. 

"  Fortunately,"  the  man  answered,  "  we  are  but  a  mile 
or  two  from  the  mouth  of  the  Seine,  and  there  we  can 
run  in  and  take  shelter." 

It  was  an  anxious  time  until  they  reached  the  mouth   * 
of  the  river,  for  they  were  continually  drifting  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  coast.     However,  they  cleared  the  point  in 


FOUR  YEARS  OF  PEACE,  l8l 

safety,  and  turning  her  head,  ran  up  the  river  and  soon 
anchored  under  the  walls  of  Ha\Te.  As  she  came  to  an 
anchor  armed  men  were  seen  crowding  to  the  walls. 

"  They  take  us  for  Danes,"  Egbert  said.  "  We  had 
best  hoist  the  Dragon,  and  they  will  then  know  that  we 
are  a  Saxon  ship." 

Soon  after  the  flag  was  hoisted  the  gates  of  the  town 
were  seen  to  open,  and  an  officer  and  some  men  issued 
out.  These  launched  a  boat  and  rowed  out  to  the  ship. 
The  officer  mounted  to  the  deck.  He  was  evidently  in 
considerable  fear,  but  as  he  saw  the  Saxons  standing 
about  unarmed  he  was  reassured.  "  Is  this  really  a 
Saxon  ship,"  he  asked,  "  as  its  flag  testifies?  " 

"It  is  so,"  Edmund  replied;  "  it  is  my  vessel,  and  I 
am  an  ealdorman  of  King  Alfred.  We  have  been  chas- 
ing the  Danish  pirates,  but  this  storm  having  arisen  we 
were  blown  down  the  French  coast  and  forced  to  seek 
shelter  here." 

"  The  governor  bids  you  welcome,"  the  officer  said, 
"  and  bade  me  invite  you  to  land." 

"  That  will  I  gladly ;  the  more  so  since  my  ship  has 
suffered  some  damage  in  the  gale,  her  bulwarks  having 
been  partly  shattered;  and  it  will  need  a  stay  of  a  few 
days  here  to  repair  her  for  sea.  Will  you  tell  the  gov- 
ernor that  in  a  short  time  I  will  land  with  my  kinsman 
Egbert  and  accept  his  hospitality?  " 

An  hour  later  Edmund  and  Egbert  landed  and  were  at 
once  conducted  to  the  governor,  who  welcomed  them 
cordially. 

They  found  there  many  whom  they  had  known  at  the 
court  of  King  Alfred.  The  wealthier  men,  the  bishops 
and  thanes,  had  for  the  most  part  journeyed  to  Paris  or 


184  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Upon  its  inhabitants.  Paris  alone,  the  capital  of  the 
Prankish  kings,  seemed  to  offer  a  refuge.  The  delibera- 
tion was  a  short  one,  and  by  the  time  the  men  had  taken 
their  places  at  the  oars  their  leaders  had  decided  upon 
their  course. 

The  anchor  ropes  were  cut,  for  not  a  moment  was  to 
be  lost,  the  leading  ships  of  the  Danes  being  already  less 
than  half  a  mile  distant.  The  tide  was  flowing,  and  the 
Dragon  swept  rapidly  up  the  river.  Some  of  the  Danish 
galleys  followed  for  a  while,  but  seeing  that  the  Dragon 
had  the  speed  of  them,  they  abandoned  the  pursuit,  and 
at  a  more  easy  stroke  the  rowers  continued  their  work 
until  they  reached  Rouen.  Here  the  tide  failed  them 
and  they  moored  against  the  bank  under  the  walls. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  went  on  shore.  They  found  the 
city  in  a  state  of  wild  confusion.  Saying  that  they  had 
important  news  and  must  see  the  governor  they  were  led 
to  the  council  cliamber,  where  the  leading  men  of  the 
town  were  assembled.  After  stating  who  he  and  his 
companion  were,  Edmund  announced  the  arrival  of  a 
great  Danish  fleet  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"  Your  news,,  sir,  is  terrible  for  our  poor  country,"  the 
governor  said,  "  but  to  us  it  scarce  brings  any  additional 
horror,  although  it  will  probably  decide  the  question 
which  we  are  engaged  in  discussing.  We  have  news 
here  that  a  great  Danish  array  which  landed  at  Abbeville 
is  marching  hitherward,  and  we  are  met  to  discuss 
whether  the  town  should  resist  to  the  last  or  should  open 
its  gates  at  their  approach.  This  news  you  bring  of  the 
arrival  of  a  fresh  army  of  these  sea  robbers  at  Havre 
renders  our  case  desperate.  So  fierce  is  their  attack  that 
we  could  hardly  hope  successfully  to  resist  the  approach- 


THE    SIEGE   OF    PARIS.  1 85 

ing  army,  but  against  it  and  this  fleet  you  tell  us  of 
resistance  could  only  bring  about  our  utter  destruction. 
That,  at  least,  is  my  opinion;  the  other  members  of  the 
council  must  speak  for  themselves." 

The  other  members,  who  were  the  principal  mer- 
chants and  traders  of  the  town,  were  unanimously  of  the 
same  opinion. 

"  Better,"  they  said,  "  to  give  up  all  our  worldly  goods 
to  the  Northmen  than  to  be  slaughtered  pitilessly  with 
our  wives  and  families." 

"  Such  being  your  decision,"  Edmund  said,  "  my  kins- 
man and  myself  will  proceed  up  the  river  to  Paris; 
hitherto,  as  we  hear,  the  Northmen  have  not  ventured  to 
attack  that  city,  and  should  they  do  so,  it  will  doubtless 
resist  to  the  last." 

Accordingly  the  two  Saxons  returned  at  once  to  the 
Dragon,  and,  as  soon  as  the  tide  turned,  unmoored  and 
proceeded  up  the  river.  Three  days  after  leaving  Rouen 
they  arrived  in  sight  of  Paris.  The  capital  of  the  Franks 
was  but  a  small  city,  and  was  built  entirely  upon  the 
island  situated  just  at  the  confluence  of  the  Seine  and 
Marne.     It  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  and  lofty  wall. 

On  the  approach  of  a  vessel  differing  entirely  from 
anything  they  had  before  seen  the  citizens  flocked  to  the 
walls.  The  Golden  Dragon  floating  at  the  masthead 
showed  them  that  the  vessel  did  not  belong  to  the  Danes, 
and  some  of  the  more  experienced  in  these  matters  said 
at  once  that  she  must  be  a  Saxon  ship.  The  Count 
Eudes,  who  had  been  left  by  the  king  in  command  of 
Paris,  himself  came  to  the  walls  just  as  the  Dragon  came 
abreast  of  them.  Edmund  ordered  the  rowers  to  pause 
at  their  work. 


184  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Upon  its  inhabitants.  Paris  alone,  the  capital  of  the 
Prankish  kings,  seemed  to  offer  a  refuge.  The  delibera- 
tion was  a  short  one,  and  by  the  time  the  men  had  taken 
their  places  at  the  oars  their  leaders  had  decided  upon 
their  course. 

The  anchor  ropes  were  cut,  for  not  a  moment  was  to 
be  lost,  the  leading  ships  of  the  Danes  being  already  less 
than  half  a  mile  distant.  The  tide  was  flowing,  and  the 
Dragon  swept  rapidly  up  the  river.  Some  of  the  Danish 
galleys  followed  for  a  while,  but  seeing  that  the  Dragon 
had  the  speed  of  them,  they  abandbned  the  pursuit,  and 
at  a  more  easy  stroke  the  rowers  continued  their  work 
until  they  reached  Rouen.  Here  the  tide  failed  them 
and  they  moored  against  the  bank  under  the  walls. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  went  on  shore.  They  found  the 
city  in  a  state  of  wild  confusion.  Saying  that  they  had 
important  news  and  must  see  the  governor  they  were  led 
to  the  council  chamber,  where  the  leading  men  of  the 
town  were  assembled.  After  stating  who  he  and  his 
companion  were,  Edmund  announced  the  arrival  of  a 
great  Danish  fleet  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"  Your  news,,  sir,  is  terrible  for  our  poor  country,"  the 
governor  said,  "  but  to  us  it  scarce  brings  any  additional 
horror,  although  it  will  probably  decide  the  question 
which  we  are  engaged  in  discussing.  We  have  news 
here  that  a  great  Danish  array  which  landed  at  Abbeville 
is  marching  hitherward,  and  -we  are  met  to  discuss 
whether  the  town  should  resist  to  the  last  or  should  open 
its  gates  at  their  approach.  This  news  you  bring  of  the 
arrival  of  a  fresh  army  of  these  sea  robbers  at  Havre 
renders  our  case  desperate.  So  fierce  is  their  attack  that 
we  could  hardly  hope  successfully  to  resist  the  approach- 


THE   SIEGE   OF    PARIS.  1 85 

ing  army,  but  against  it  and  this  fleet  you  tell  us  of 
resistance  could  only  bring  about  our  utter  destruction. 
That,  at  least,  is  my  opinion;  the  other  members  of  the 
council  must  speak  for  themselves." 

The  other  members,  who  were  the  principal  mer- 
chants and  traders  of  the  town,  were  unanimously  of  the 
same  opinion. 

"  Better,"  they  said,  "  to  give  up  all  our  worldly  goods 
to  the  Northmen  than  to  be  slaughtered  pitilessly  with 
oiw  wives  and  families." 

"  Such  being  your  decision,"  Edmund  said,  "  my  kins- 
man and  myself  will  proceed  up  the  river  to  Paris; 
hitherto,  as  we  hear,  the  Northmen  have  not  ventured  to 
attack  that  city,  and  should  they  do  so,  it  will  doubtless 
resist  to  the  last." 

Accordingly  the  two  Saxons  returned  at  once  to  the 
Dragon,  and,  as  soon  as  the  tide  turned,  unmoored  and 
proceeded  up  the  river.  Three  days  after  leaving  Rouen 
they  arrived  in  sight  of  Paris.  The  capital  of  the  Franks 
was  but  a  small  city,  and  was  built  entirely  upon  the 
island  situated  just  at  the  confluence  of  the  Seine  and 
Marne.     It  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  and  lofty  wall. 

On  the  approach  of  a  vessel  differing  entirely  from 
anything  they  had  before  seen  the  citizens  flocked  to  the 
walls.  The  Golden  Dragon  floating  at  the  masthead 
showed  them  that  the  vessel  did  not  belong  to  the  Danes, 
and  some  of  the  more  experienced  in  these  matters  said 
at  once  that  she  must  be  a  Saxon  ship.  The  Count 
Eudes,  who  had  been  left  by  the  king  in  command  of 
Paris,  himself  came  to  the  walls  just  as  the  Dragon  came 
abreast  of  them.  Edmund  ordered  the  rowers  to  pause 
at  their  work. 


l86  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  Who  are  you?  "  the  Count  Eudes  shouted.  "  Whence 
do  you  come,  and  with  what  intent?  " 

"  My  name  is  Edmund.  I  am  an  ealdorman  of  King 
Alfred  of  the  Saxons.  When  at  sea  fighting  the  North- 
men a  tempest  blew  me  down  your  coast  and  I  took 
refuge  in  the  port  of  Havre.  Four  days  since  at  day- 
break a  vast  fleet  of  Northmen  entered  the  river.  We 
rowed  up  to  Rouen,  hoping  to  be  able  to  find  safe  shelter 
there;  but  the  citizens  being  aware  that  a  great  army  of 
the  sea  robbers  was  marching  against  their  town,  and 
being  further  intimidated  by  the  neiws  I  brought  them, 
decided  upon  surrendering  without  resistance.  There- 
fore we  have  continued  our  journey  hither,  being  assured 
that  here  at  least  the  Danish  wolves  would  not  have  their 
way  unopposed.  We  have  fought  them  long  in  our 
native  land,  and  wish  for  nothing  better  than  to  aid  in 
the  eflforts  of  the  Franks  against  our  common  enemy." 

"  You  are  welcome,  sir  earl,"  the  Count  Eudes  said, 
"  though  the  news  you  bring  us  is  bad  indeed.  We  have 
heard  how  valiantly  the  thanes  of  King  Alfred  have 
fought  against  the  invaders,  and  shall  be  glad  indeed  of 
your  assistance  should  the  Northmen,  as  I  fear,  come 
hither." 

So  saying  the  count  ordered  the  gates  to  be  opened, 
and  the  Dragon  having  been  moored  alongside,  Edmund 
and  Egbert  with  their  crew  entered  the  town,  where  the 
leaders  were  received  with  great  honor  by  the  count. 
He  begged  them  to  become  guests  at  the  castle,  where 
quarters  were  also  assigned  to  the  crew.  A  banquet  was 
at  once  prepared,  at  which  many  of  the  principal  citizens 
were  present. 

As  soon  as  the  demands  of  hunger  were  satisfied  the 


THE   SIEGE   OF   PARIS.  1 87 

count  made  itjrther  inquiries  as  to  the  size  of  the  fleet 
which  had  entered  the  Seine,  and  as  to  the  army  reported 
to  be  marching  against  Rouen. 

"  I  doubt  not,"  he  said,  when  the  Saxons  had  given 
him  all  the  particulars  in  their  power,  "  that  it  is  the 
armament  of  Siegfroi,  who  has  already  wrought  such 
dCvStruction.  More  than  once  he  has  appeared  before  our 
walls,  and  has  pillaged  and  ravaged  the  whole  of  the 
north  of  France.  The  last  time  he  was  here  he  threat- 
ened to  return  with  a  force  which  would  suffice  to  raze 
Paris  to  the  ground,  and  doubtless  he  is  coming  to 
endeavor  to  carry  out  his  threat ;  but  he  will  not  find  the 
task  an  easy  one,  for  we  shall  resist  him  to  the  last;  and 
right  glad  am  I  that  I  shall  have  the  assistance  of  two  of 
the  Saxon  thanes  who  have  so  often  inflicted  heavy 
defeats  upon  these  wolves  of  the  sea.  Your  vessel  is  a 
strange  one,  and  differs  from  those  that  I  have  hitherto 
seen,  either  Dane  or  Saxon.  She  is  a  sailing  ship,  and 
y«t  appears  to  row  very  fast." 

"  She  is  built,"  Edmund  said,  "  partly  upon  the  designs 
of  King  Alfred  himself,  which  were  made  from  paintings 
he  possessed  of  the  war  galleys  of  Italy,  which  country 
he  visited  in  his  youth.  They  were  carried  out  by  a 
clever  shipwright  of  Exeter;  and,  indeed,  the  ship  sails 
as  well  as  she  rows,  and,  as  the  Danes  have  discovered  to 
their  cost,  is  able  to  fight  as  well  as  she  can  sail  and  row. 
Had  we  been  fairly  out  to  sea  before  the  Danish  fleet 
made  its  appearance  we  could  have  given  a  good  account 
of  ourselves,  but  we  were  caught  in  a  trap." 

"  I  fear  that  if  the  Northmen  surround  the  city  your 
ship  will  be  destroyed." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that,"  Edmund  said,  "  and  I  pray 


l88  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

you  to  let  me  have  some  men  who  know  the  river  higher 
up.  There  must  assuredly  be  low  shores  often  overflowed 
where  there  are  wide  swamps  covered  with  wood  and 
thickets,  which  the  enemy  would  not  enter,  seeing  that 
no  booty  could  be  obtained  there.  The  ship  was  built 
in  such  a  spot,  and  we  could  cut  a  narrow  gap  from  the 
river  and  float  her  well  in  among  the  trees,  so  as  to  be 
hidden  from  the  sight  of  any  passing  up  the  river  in 
galleys,  closing  up  the  cut  again  so  that  none  might  sus- 
pect its  existence." 

"  That  could  be  done  easily  enotigh,"  the  count  said; 
"  there  are  plenty  of  spots  which  would  be  suitable,  for 
the  banks  are  for  the  most  part  low  and  the  ground 
aroimd  swampy  and  wooded.  To-morrow  I  will  tell  off 
a  strong  body  of  men  to  accompany  you  in  your  ship 
and  aid  your  crew  in  their  work." 

Twenty  miles  up  the  Seine  a  suitable  spot  was  found, 
and  the  crew  of  the  Dragon,  with  the  hundred  men  whom 
the  Count  Eudes  had  lent  for  the  purpose,  at  once  set 
al>out  their  work.  They  had  but  little  trouble,  for  a  spot 
was  chosen  where  a  sluggish  stream,  some  fifteen  feet 
wide,  drained  the  water  from  a  widespreading  swamp 
into  the  river.  The  channel  needed  widening  but  a  little 
to  allow  of  the  Dragon  entering,  and  the  water  was  quite 
deep  enough  to  permit  her  being  taken  some  three  hun- 
dred yards  back  from  the  river. 

The  trees  and  underwood  were  thick,  and  Edmund 
was  assured  that  even  when  winter,  which  was  now 
approaching,  stripped  the  last  leaf  from  the  trees,  the 
Dragon  could  not  be  seen  from  the  river.  Her  masts 
were  lowered,  and  bundles  of  brushwood  were  hung 
along  her  side  so  as  to  prevent  the  gleam  of  black  paint 
being  discerned  through  the  trees. 


I>«&Ri        ^CHBISHOP  GOSLIN  RECEIVES  THE  DANISH  KlNC— Page  x88. 


THE  SIEGE   OF   PARIS.  1 89 

The  entrance  to  the  stream  was  filled  up  to  a  width  of 
three  or  four  feet,  and  the  new  work  turfed  with  coarse 
grass  similar  to  that  which  grew  beside  it.  Bushes  were 
planted  close  to  the  water's  edge,  and  stakes  were  driven 
down  in  the  narrow  channel  to  within  a  few  inches  of 
the  surface  of  the  water. 

Certain  now  that  no  Danish  boats  would  be  likely  to 
turn  aside  from  the  river  to  enter  this  channel  into  the 
swamp,  the  party  embarked  in  some  boats  which  had 
been  towed  up  by  the  Dragon,  and  returned  down  the 
river  to  Paris. 

The  afternoon  before  starting  all  the  valuable  booty 
which  had  been  captured  from  the  Danes  was  landed  and 
placed  in  security  in  the  castle,  and  upon  his  return  to 
Paris  Edmund  disposed  of  this  at  good  prices  to  the 
traders  of  the  city. 

A  fortnight  after  they  had  returned  to  Paris  the  news 
was  brought  in  that  a  vast  fleet  of  Northmen  was  ascend- 
ing the  river.  The  next  morning  it  was  close  at  hand, 
and  the  citizens,  mounting  the  walls,  beheld  with  con- 
sternation the  approaching  armament.  So  numerous 
were  the  ships  that  they  completely  covered  the  river. 
The  fleet  consisted  of  seven  hundred  sailing  ships  and  a 
vastly  greater  number  of  rowing  galleys  and  boats. 
These  vessels  were  crowded  with  men,  and  their  fierce 
aspect,  their  glittering  arms,  and  their  lofty  stature, 
spread  terror  in  the  hearts  of  the  citizens. 

"  This  is  truly  a  tremendous  host !  "  the  Count  Eudes 
said  to  Edmund,  who  stood  beside  him  on  the  walls. 

"  It  is  indeed,"  Edmund  replied.  "  Numerous  as  are 
the  fleets  which  have  poured  down  upon  the  shores  of 
England,  methinks  that  none  approach  this  in  strength. 


IfO  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

it  is  ekar  that  the  Northmen  have  united  their  forces  for 
a  great  effort  against  this  city ;  but  having  at  home  suc- 
cessfully defended  fortifications,  which  were  not  to  be 
named  in  comparison  with  those  of  Paris,,  against  them, 
I  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that  we  shall  be  able  to  beat 
them  off  here." 

The  Dan£a  landed  on  the  opposite  bank  and  formed  a 
vast  camp  there,  and  the  following  morning  three  of  their 
number  in  a  small  boat  rowed  across  the  river  and  said 
that  their  king,  Siegfroi,  desired  to  speak  with  Goslin, 
Archbishop  of  Paris,  who  stood  in  the  position  of  civU 
governcwr.  They  were  tokl  that  the  archbishop  wotild 
receive  the  king  in  his  palace. 

An  hour  later  a  stately  figure  in  glittering  armor  was 
seen  to  tal<:e  his  place  in  a  long  galley,  which,  rowed  by 
twenty  men,  quickly  shot  across  the  stream.  Siegfroi 
landed,  and„  accompanied  by  four  of  his  leading  warriors, 
entered  the  gatesy  which  were  opened  at  his  approach. 
The  chief  of  the  Northmen  was  a  warrior  of  lofty  stature. 
On  his  head  he  wore  a  hdmet  of  gold,  on  whose  crest 
was  a  raven  with  extended  wings  wrought  in  the  same 
metal.  His  Jiair  fell  k)osely  on  his  neck^  his  face  was 
clean  shaved  in  Danish  fashion,  save  for  a  long  mus- 
tache. He  wore  a  breastplate  of  golden  scales,  and 
carried  a  shield  of  the  toughest  bull's  hide  studded  with 
gold  nails- 
He  was  unarmed,  save  a  long  dagger  which  he  wore 
in  his  belt  He  and  his  followers,  who  were  all  men-  of 
immense  stature,  walked  with  a  proud  and  assured  air 
between  the  lines  of  citizens  who  clustered  thickly  on 
each  side  of  the  street,  and  who  gazed  in  silence  at  these 
dreaded  figures.    They  were  escorted  by  the  chamber- 


THE   SIEGS  OF   PAXIS.  I^f 

Idii  of  the  archbishop,  and  on  arriving  at  his  palace  were 
conducted  into  the  chamber  where  Goslin,  Count  Eudes, 
and  several  of  the  leading  persons  of  Paris  awaited  them. 

Siegfnoi  bent  his  head  before  the  prelate. 

^  Goslin,"  he  said,  "  I  be:g  you  to  have  ootnpassioa 
upcwi  yourself  and  your  flock  if  you  do  not  wish  to  perish. 
We  beseech  you  to  turn  a  favorable  ear  to  our  wcnxIs. 
Grant  only  tiact  we  shall  mardti  through  the  city.  Wc 
will  touch  nothing  in  the  town,  and  we  undertake  to  pre- 
serve all  your  property,  both  yours  and  that  of  Eudes." 

The  archbishop  rephed  at  onve : 

■"  This  cjly  has  been  confided  to  us  by  the  Emperor 
Claries,  who  is,  aftear  God,  the  king  and  master  of  the 
powers  of  the  earth.  Holding  under  his  rule  almost  all 
the  world,  he  confided  it  to  us,  with  the  assurant^  that 
we  should  suffer  no  harm  to  come  to  the  kingdom,  but 
should  keep  it  for  him  safe  and  sure.  If  it  had  happened 
that  the  defense  of  these  walls  had  been  committed  to 
your  hands,  as  it  has  been  committed  to  mine,  wliat 
wouid  yon  have  done  had  such  a  demand  been  made 
upon  yon?     Wouid  you  have  granted  the  demand?  " 

""  If  I  had  granted  it,"  Siegf roi  replied,  ^'  may  my  head 
fall  under  the  ax  and  serve  as  food  for  dogs !  Neverthe- 
less, if  j'on  do  not  grant  our  demands,  by  day  we  will 
overwhelm  your  city  with  our  darts,  and  with  poisoned 
arroA\'s  by  night.  You  shall  suffer  all  the  horrors  o£ 
hunger,  and  year  after  year  we  will  return  and  make  a 
rain  of  your  city.^' 

Without  another  wond  he  turned,  and,  followed  by  his 
companions,  strode  through  the  streets  of  Paris,  and 
taking  his  place  in  the  boat  returned  to  his  camp. 

At  daybreak  the  next  ra<caTiing  the  Norsemen  were 


193  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

seen  crowding  into  their  ships.  The  trumpets  sounded 
loudly,  and  the  citizens  seized  their  arms  and  hastened 
to  the  walls.  The  Norsemen  crossed  the  river  and 
directed  their  attack  against  a  tower  which  stood  at  the 
head  of  the  bridge  connecting  the  city  and  island  with 
the  farther  bank.  Those  who  landed  were  provided 
with  picks,  crowbars,  and  other  implements  for  effecting 
a  breach,  and  their  approach  was  protected  by  a  cloud 
of  arrows  and  javelins  from  the  fleet  which  covered  the 
surface  of  the  river. 

The  French  leaders  soon  assembled  at  the  threatened 
point.  Chief  among  these  were  Eudes,  his  brother 
Robert,  the  Count  Ragenaire,  and  the  Abbe  Ebble,  a 
nephew  of  the  archbishop.  The  Franks  bore  themselves 
bravely,  and  in  spite  of  the  rain  of  arrows  defended  the 
walls  against  the  desperate  attacks  of  the  Northmen. 

The  fortifications  in  those  days  were  very  far  from  hav- 
ing attained  the  strength  and  solidity  which  a  few  genera- 
tions later  were  bestowed  upon  them.  The  stones  of 
which  they  were  constructed  were  comparatively  small, 
and  fastened  together  by  mortar;  consequently  they 
could  ill  resist  even  an  assault  by  manual  weapons. 
Covered  by  their  shields  the  Northmen  worked  untir- 
ingly at  the  foundations,  and  piece  by  piece  the  walls 
crumbled  to  the  ground.  Every  effort,  however,  to  enter 
at  the  breaches  so  made  was  repulsed,  and  Siegfroi  kept 
back  his  warriors,  determined  to  delay  the  grand  assault 
until  the  next  day.  By  nightfall  the  tower  was  in  ruins, 
scarce  a  portion  of  the  walls  remaining  erect.  Many  of 
the  besieged  had  been  killed.  The  archbishop  was 
wounded  with  an  arrow.  Frederic,  a  young  soldier  who 
led  the  troops  of  the  Church,  was  killed. 


THB  SIEGK  OF  PARIS.  I93 

The  besiegers  had  suffered  much  more  severely,  great 
numbers  having  been  killed  by  the  stones  and  missiles 
hurled  down  by  the  defenders  while  engaged  in  the 
demolition  of  the  walls.  At  nightfall  the  Danes  carried 
off  their  wounded  and  recrossed  the  river,  confident  that 
next  day  they  would  succeed  in  their  assault.  As  soon 
as  darkness  had  set  in  Count  Eudes  collected  the  citizens, 
and  these,  bearing  beams  and  planks,  crossed  the  bridge 
to  the  tower  and  set  to  work.  Outside  the  circle  of  ruins 
holes  were  dug  and  the  beams  securely  fixed.  Planks 
were  nailed  to  these  and  earth  heaped  up  behind  them. 

All  night  the  work  continued,  and  by  morning  a  forti- 
fication much  higher  than  the  original  tower  had  been 
erected  all  round  the  ruin.  The  Danes  again  crossed 
the  river  in  their  ships,  and  the  assault  was  renewed. 
Javelins  and  great  stones  were  hurled  at  the  fortification, 
and  clouds  of  arrows  from  the  shipping  fell  within 
them.  Covered  with  portable  roofs  constructed  of 
planks,  the  Danes  strove  to  destroy  the  wall.  The  be- 
sieged poured  upon  them  a  blazing  mixture  of  oil,  wax, 
and  pitch.  Numbers  of  the  Danes  were  burned  to  death, 
while  others,  maddened  by  the  pain,  threw  themselves 
into  the  river. 

Over  and  over  again  Siegfroi  led  his  warriors  to  the 
attack,  but  the  defenders,  headed  by  Eudes  and  the 
brave  Abbe  Ebble,  each  time  repelled  them.  The  abbe 
particularly  distinguished  himself,  and  he  is  reported  to 
have  slain  seven  Danes  at  once  with  one  javelin,  a  blow 
which  may  be  considered  as  bordering  on  the  miracu- 
lous. But  the  number  of  the  defenders  of  the  tower  was 
small  indeed  to  that  of  the  enemy,  and  the  loss  which  they 


I^  THE   DBAGON    ikNI)>  THE,  RAVEN. 

inflkted  upon  the  Danes,  great  as  it  was,  was.  as  notbing 
in  so  vast  a  host. 

The  flames  of  the  machines*  lighted  by  the  pitch  andi 
oil,  communicated  to  the  p.lanks  oi  the  fortification,  and 
soon  these  too  were  cm  fife.  As  they  burned  the  earth, 
behind  them  gave  way,  and  a  breach  was  formed..  En- 
couraged by  this  result  the  Danes  brought  up  fagots,, 
and  in  several  places  Eghted  great  fires  against  the  forti- 
fications. The  defenders  began  to  lose  all  hope,  when  a 
tremendous  storm  of  rain  suddenly  burst  aver  FariSk 
quenching  the  fire. 

The  besieged  gained  heart,  re-enforcements  crossed 
from  the  town,  and  the  Danes  again  withdrew  to  their 
ships,  having  lost  in  the  day's  fighting  three  hundred 
men.  After  tliis  repulse  the  Northmen  desisted  for  a 
time  from  their  attack.  They  formed  a  strong  fortified 
camp  near  the  church  of  St.  Germain,  and  then  spread 
over  the  country,  slaying  and  burning,  sparing  none, 
man,  woman,  or  child.  From  the  walls  of  Paris  the 
smoke  could  be  seen  rising  over  the  whole  country,  and 
every  heart  was  moved  with  rage  and  sorrow. 

Edmund  and  his  party  had  taken  no  part  in  the:  defense 
of  the  tower.  Its  loss  would  not  have  involved  that  of 
the  town,  and  Eudes  requested  him  to  keep  his  band  in 
reserve  in  order  that  they  might  remain  intact  until  the 
Danes  should  make  a  breach  in  the  walls  of  the  city 
itself,  when  the  sudden  re-enforcement  of  a  party  of  such 
well-trained  warriors  might  decide  the  results 

While  a  portion  of  the  Danish  host  was  engaged  upon 
the  work  of  devastation,  a  large  number  was  employed 
Ufion  the  construction  o&  three  great  towers^  These 
were  built  on  wheels,  and  were  each  large  enough  to 


D.&R.  Combat  between  Sweyn  and  Edmund.— Page  194. 


THE   SIEGE   OF   PARIS.  I95 

hold  sixty  men.  They  far  overtopped  the  walls,  and  the 
citizens  viewed  with  alarm  the  time  when  an  assault 
should  be  delivered  under  the  protection  of  these  for- 
midable machines.  Eighteen  ships  of  equal  size  were 
moored  by  the  bank  six  deep.  Great  planks  were  laid 
across  them,  and  a  sloping  platform  having  been  formed, 
the  towers  were,  by  the  efforts  of  thousands  of  men, 
moved  up  and  placed  on  the  ships. 

"  If  we  do  not  destroy  those  towers,  Egbert,"  Edmund 
said  one  day,  as  he  saw  them  slowly  moving  into  their 
position  on  board  the  ships,  "all  is  lost,  for  from  their 
summits  the  Northmen  with  their  bows  and  javelins  will 
be  able  to  clear  the  walls,  while  those  below  effect  a 
breach  at  their  leisure." 

"  That  is  true  enough,  Edmund,  but  I  do  not  see  any 
way  to  destroy  them.  Unfortunately  we  have  no  boats, 
or  we  might  fill  some  of  them  with  combustibles,  and 
tow  them  down  until  near  enough  for  the  stream  to 
carry  them  upon  those  vessels ;  but  even  then  the  chance 
were  small  indeed,  for  the  Danes  would  swarm  out  in 
their  boats  and  manage  to  tow  or  push  them  so  that  they 
would  not  touch  the  ships." 

**  I  should  think,  Egbert,  that  if  we  could  get  some 
skins  or  planks  we  and  our  band  might,  when  it  is  quite 
dark,  sally  out  and  take  to  the  water  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  island  and  float  down  quietly  for  a  mile  or  two,  and 
then  gain  the  further  bank;  then  we  might  march  along 
quietly  until  we  reach  those  ships.  The  Danes  know 
that  we  have  no  boats,  and  will  not  fear  an  attack.  We 
must  not  do  it  until  an  hour  or  two  before  morning, 
when,  after  spending  the  early  hours  of  the  night  as  usual 
in  feasting  and  drinking,  they  will  sleep  heavily.    Just 


196  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

before  we  are  ready  to  begin  a  small  party  can  unmoor 
two  or  three  of  the  boats  by  the  bank  and  push  them 
out,  one  to  the  outside  of  each  tier  of  six  vessels,  so  that 
we  may  have  a  means  of  retreat  across  the  river.  When 
that  is  done  we  will  make  a  rush  on  board  the  ships,  cut 
down  any  Danes  we  may  find  there,  and  set  fire  to  all 
the  vessels.  We  must  hold  the  gangways  to  the  shore 
until  the  flames  get  well  alight,  and  then  take  to  the  boats 
and  return." 

"  I  think  the  plan  is  a  good  one,  Edmund,  and  may 
well  be  carried  out  without  great  los's.  There  are  plenty 
of  empty  wine  skins  at  present  in  Paris.  I  will  at  once 
set  about  collecting  a  hundred  of  them.  We  will  fasten 
to  each  a  stout  cord  so  as  to  form  a  loop  to  go  over  the 
head  and  shoulders,  then  we  had  best  attach  them  all 
together  by  one  long  cord,  by  which  means  we  shall  float 
in  a  body." 

"  Fortunately  the  night  is  very  dark  and  I  think  that 
we  shall  succeed.  Say  nothing  about  it,  Egbert,  and 
tell  the  men  to  keep  silent.  The  good  people  of  Paris 
shall  know  nothing  of  the  matter  until  they  see  the 
flames  dancing  round  the  towers  which  they  hold  in  so 
much  dread." 

The  Saxons  received  with  satisfaction  the  news  of  the 
intended  expedition.  They  had  been  disappointed  at 
being  kept  back  from  taking  any  part  in  the  fighting 
during  the  two  days'  attack  upon  the  tower,  and  longed 
for  an  opportunity  to  inflict  a  blow  upon  their  hated 
enemy  the  Danes.  The  wine  skins  were  fitted  up  with 
ropes  as  Egbert  had  suggested,  and  soon  after  nightfall 
the  party,  armed  with  spear  and  sword,  and  carrying 
each  his  float,  sallied  out  from  the  gates,  as  Edmund  was 


THE   SIEGE    OF    PARIS.  197 

by  this  time  so  well  known  among  the  citizens  that  the 
gate  was  opened  without  demur  on  his  order. 

They  crept  along  the  foot  of  the  wall  until  they  reached 
the  lower  extremity  of  the  island.  Across  the  river 
innumerable  fires  blazed  high,  and  the  songs  and  shouts 
of  the  Danes  rose  loud  in  the  air.  Numbers  of  figures 
could  be  seen  moving  about  or  standing  near  the  fires, 
the  tents  of  the  chiefs  were  visible  some  distance  back, 
but  the  number  of  these  as  well  as  of  the  fires  was  much 
less  than  it  had  been  on  the  first  arrival  of  the  Northmen, 
owing  to  the  numbers  who  had  gone  to  the  camp  round 
St.  Germain. 

The  night  was  very  dark  and  a  light  rain  was  falling. 
Before  taking  to  the  water  Edmund  bade  his  men  strip 
off  the  greater  portion  of  their  clothes  and  fasten  them 
in  a  bundle  on  their  heads,  as  it  would  be  some  time  after 
they  landed  before  they  could  advance  upon  the  camp, 
and  the  cold  and  dripping  garments  would  tend  to  lessen 
their  spirits  and  courage. 

When  all  was  ready  they  stepped  into  the  water,  and 
keeping  in  a  body,  drifted  down  the  stream.  The  wine 
skins  floated  them  well  above  the  water,  the  stream  was 
running  strong,  and  the  lights  of  the  Danish  fires  were 
soon  left  behind. 

In  half  an  hour  Edmund  and  Egbert  deemed  that  they 
were  now  far  beyond  a  point  where  they  might  chance 
upon  any  Danish  stragglers.  The  word  was  therefore 
given,  and  all  made  for  the  bank.  The  stream  had 
already  drifted  them  in  that  direction,  and  they  soon 
reached  the  shore.  Here  the  skins  which  had  proved 
so  useful  were  left  behind,  and  putting  on  their  dry 
clothes  they  felt  comparatively  comfortable.     Edmund 


198  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

ordered  them  to  lay  down  their  spears  and  swords  by; 
their  sides,  and  to  swing  their  arms  violently.  This  they 
continued  to  do  until  they  were  nearly  breathless,  by 
which  time  the  blood  was  coursing  warmly  in  their 
veins. 

They  were  now  in  December,  and  the  water  was 
extremely  cold,  and  Egbert  congratulated  Edmund  upon 
having  made  the  men  strip,  for  had  they  been  compelled 
to  remain  in  their  wet  garments  while  waiting  for  the 
Danish  fires  to  die  down,  they  would  scarce  have  been 
in  a  fit  state  to  fight  when  the  moment  for  so  doing  had 
arrived. 

Three  hours  elapsed  before  the  glare  of  the  distant 
fires  began  to  subside,  another  half  hour  passed,  and  then 
the  band  were  formed  up  and  moved  along  on  the  bank 
of  the  river. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  REPULSE  OF  THE  NORSEMEN. 

When  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Danish  camp  Edmund 
and  Egbert  left  the  band  and  advanced  alone.  They 
.were  pretty  confident  that  they  should  find  but  few  of 
the  Danes  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  for  the  arrows 
from  the  walls  of  Paris  carried  some  distance  beyond  it, 
and  the  Northmen  consequently  encamped  some  hun- 
dred yards  away.  They  had  to  pick  their  way  carefully, 
for  the  ships  were  moored  along  the  bank,  their  ropes 
being  fastened  to  great  stakes  driven  into  the  ground. 

There  were  lights  on  board  the  vessels,  many  of  the 
crews  remaining  on  board.  They  made  their  way  along 
until  they  reached  the  spot  they  aimed  at.  Here  lay  the 
three  sets  of  vessels,  each  six  deep;  their  masts  had 
been  removed,  and  the  great  towers  rose  high  into  the 
darkness  above  the  platforms  extending  over  their  decks. 

The  planks  forming  the  gangways  up  which  the  towers 
had  been  moved  had  been  taken  away,  save  one  which 
gave  access  to  each  tier,  and  Edmund  doubted  not  that 
it  was  intended  that  they  should  the  next  morning  move 
across  the  river  in  tow  of  the  numerous  rowboats.  The 
two  Saxons  did  not  attempt  to  go  on  board,  as  they  had 
now  found  out  all  they  wanted,  and  might  mar  all  by  dis- 
turbing some  sleeper  upon  the  platform.  They  accord- 
ingly returned  to  the  spot  where  the  band  were  awaiting 
them. 


200  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  I  propose,  Egbert,"  Edmund  said,  "  that  as  we  go 
along  we  cut  the  mooring  ropes  of  all  the  vessels.  We 
must  do  it  quietly  so  as  not  to  excite  any  alarm,  and  they 
will  know  nothing  of  it  until  they  find  themselves  drifting 
down  the  river  in  a  mass.  Then  there  will  be  great  jos- 
tling and  carrying  away  of  bowsprits  and  bulwarks,  and 
the  confusion  and  shouting  which  will  arise  will  tend  to 
confuse  the  Danes  and  to  distract  their  attention 
from  us." 

Egbert  agreed  to  the  proposal,  and  as  soon  as  they 
reached  the  first  ships  the  Saxons  began  their  work,  saw- 
ing with  their  knives  and  daggers  through  the  ropes. 
The  vessels  lay  four  or  five  deep  and  there  were  many 
cables  to  cut,  but  the  keen  knives  of  the  Saxons  made 
short  work  of  these.  Before  beginning  their  work  they, 
had  spread  along  the  bank,  leaving  only  two  men  abreast 
of  each  ship,  so  that  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  minutes 
the  cables  for  the  lengfth  of  forty  ships  were  severed,  and 
these  and  their  consorts  beyond  them  began  to  drift  out 
into  the  stream. 

The  Saxons  ran  quickly  on  ahead  and  repeated  the 
work  until  the  whole  of  the  vessels  below  those  forming 
the  platform  for  the  towers  were  adrift  in  the  stream;  but 
by  this  time  those  in  the  ships  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
tiers  had  taken  the  alarm,  and  shouts  of  wonder  and 
anger  rose  on  the  air.  The  nine  Saxons  told  off  for  the 
purpose  leaped  into  three  small  boats  and  rowed  out  into 
the  stream,  while  the  rest  of  the  band,  divided  into  three 
parties,  dashed  across  the  planks  on  to  the  platforms. 
The  Danes  here  had  already  been  alarmed  by  the  uproar, 
from  the  vessels  adrift,  and,  although  unable  to  see  whatj 


THE   REPULSE   OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  20X 

.was  passing,  judged  that  something  was  wrong,  and  had 
called  to  their  comrades  sleeping  in  the  holds  to  come  up. 

Some  of  these,  bearing  torches,  came  up  on  deck  just 
as  the  Saxons,  pouring  across  the  planks  which  con- 
nected the  ships  with  the  shore,  fell  upon  them.  Taken 
utterly  by  surprise,  the  Danes  could  offer  no  effective 
resistance.  The  Saxons,  charging  with  leveled  spears, 
drove  those  above  headlong  into  the  water;  then,  having 
made  themselves  masters  of  the  platforms,  they  dashed 
below  and  dispatched  the  Danes  they  found  there.  The 
torches  were  now  applied  to  the  contents  of  the  holds. 
These  were  for  the  most  part  crammed  with  the  booty 
which  the  Norsemen  had  gained  at  Havre,  Rouen,  and 
other  places,  and  the  flames  speedily  shot  up.  By  this 
time  the  Danes  in  the  camp,  alarmed  by  the  shouting 
from  the  drifting  ships  and  the  sounds  of  conflict  from 
the  towers,  came  flocking  down  in  haste.  The  planks 
had  already  been  thrown  overboard.  The  Danes  strove, 
by  pulling  at  the  ropes,  to  haul  the  vessels  nearer  to  land. 
Some  ran  toward  their  ships,  others  jumped  into  boats, 
and  pushing  out  to  the  platforms,  strove  to  get  on  board 
them;  but  by  this  time  the  flames  were  rising  high 
through  the  hatchways.  According  to  previous  agree- 
ment Edmund  and  the  leaders  of  the  other  two  parties, 
seeing  that  the  flames  had  now  firm  hold,  cut  the  ropes 
which  fastened  them  to  the  bank,  and  as  soon  as  the 
stream  began  to  swing  them  out  leaped  into  the  boats 
and  rowed  for  the  opposite  shore. 

The  uproar  was  now  tremendous;  and  shouts  of  rage 
rose  from  the  Northmen,  who  were  amazed  and  puzzled 
by  the  appearance  of  the  Saxons,  whose  attire  differed 


202  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

but  slightly  from  their  own;  and  the  general  belief 
among  them  was  that  this  sudden  alarm  was  the  result 
of  treachery  among  themselves.  There  was  no  time  to 
waste  in  conjecture;  the  three  groups  of  ships  were  now 
masses  of  flame,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  lofty  towers 
rose  high.  The  shouts  of  the  sailors  in  the  vessels 
crowded  together  in  helpless  confusion  in  the  stream 
below  rose  higher  and  higher  as  the  blazing  vessels 
drifted  down  and  threatened  to  overtake  them. 

Some  tried  to  hoist  their  sails;  others  got  out  long 
oars  and  strove  to  sweep  their  vessels  toward  the  shore, 
but  they  were  huddled  too  closely  in  the  stream,  the  yards 
and  rigging  of  many  having  become  interlocked  with 
each  other.  The  Northmen  leaped  into  the  rowing 
boats  by  the  bank  above,  where  the  tower  ships  had  been 
moored,  and,  rowing  down,  endeavored  to  tow  them  to 
the  bank;  but  they  were  now  in  a  blaze  from  end  to  end, 
the  heat  was  so  great  that  it  was  difficult  to  approach 
them,  and  all  endeavors  to  fasten  ropes  to  them  were 
frustrated,  as  these  were  instantly  consumed.  The 
Northmen,  finding  their  efforts  unavailing,  then  turned 
their  attention  to  trying  to  tow  the  ships  below  to  the 
banks. 

In  some  cases  they  were  successful.  A  few  of  the 
vessels  also  at  the  lower  end  of  the  mass  succeeded  in 
getting  up  their  sails  and  drawing  out  from  their  fellows, 
for  the  wind  was  blowing  down  stream.  This,  however, 
proved  the  destruction  of  the  rest  of  the  ships,  for  the 
great  towers,  rising  amid  the  lofty  pillars  of  flames,  acted 
as  sails  and  bore  the  fire  ships  down  upon  the  helpless 
crowd  of  vessels. 

Soon  they  reached  those  nearest  to  them,  and  the 


THE   REPULSE   OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  203 

flames,  borne  forward  by  the  wind,  sprang  from  vessel  to 
vessel.  There  was  no  longer  any  hope  of  saving  a  single 
ship;  and  the  crews,  climbing  hastily  across  from  one  to 
the  other  till  they  reached  those  nearest  to  the  shore, 
leaped  overboard.  Although  now  more  than  half  a  mile 
below  the  city,  the  flames  lit  up  the  walls  with  a  bright 
glare,  and  the  shouts  of  the  exulting  Franks  rose  loud 
and  continuous. 

The  sudden  shouting  which  had  broken  out  among  the 
Danes  had  alarmed  the  watchmen,  who,  ignorant  of 
the  cause,  called  the  citizens  to  arms,  and  these,  on  reach- 
ing the  walls,  had  stood  astonished  at  the  spectacle.  The 
flames  were  already  rising  from  the  three  groups  of  ships 
which  they  had  regarded  with  so  much  anxiety  on  the 
previous  evening,  and  by  the  light  they  could  see  the 
river  below  covered  with  a  mass  of  drifting  vessels. 
Then  they  saw  the  tower  ships  float  away  from  the  bank, 
and  the  figures  on  their  decks  leap  into  three  small  boats^ 
which  at  once  rowed  with  all  speed  across  the  river. 

That  they  were  friends  who  had  wrought  this  destruc- 
tion was  certain,  and  Count  Eudes  threw  open  the  gate, 
and  with  the  Abbe  Ebble  ran  down  to  meet  them.  They, 
were  astonished  when  Edmund  with  his  Saxons  leaped 
to  land. 

"  What  miracle  is  this?  "  the  count  exclaimed. 

"  A  simple  matter,  sir  count,"  Edmund  answered. 
"  My  kinsman  and  I,  seeing  that  the  townspeople  were 
troubled  by  yonder  towers,  determined  to  destroy  them. 
We  have  succeeded  in  doing  so,  and  with  them  I  trust 
fully  half  of  the  Danish  fleet  will  perish." 

"  You  are  the  savior  of  our  town,  my  brave  young 
Saxon,"  Count  Eudes  cried,  embracing  him.     "  If  Paris 


204  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

is  saved  it  will  be  thanks  to  the  valiant  deed  that  you 
have  accomplished  this  night.  But  let  us  to  the  walls 
again,  where  we  may  the  better  see  whether  the  Danes 
can  remove  their  ships  from  those  great  furnaces  which 
are  bearing  down  upon  them." 

The  sight  from  the  walls,  when  the  fire  ships  reached 
the  fleet  and  the  flames  spread,  was  grand  in  the  extreme, 
for  in  half  an  hour  nigh  three  hundred  vessels  were  in 
flames.  For  some  time  the  three  towers  rose  like  pillars 
of  fire  above  the  burning  mass;  then  one  by  one  they 
fell  with  a  crash,  which  could  be  plainly  heard,  although 
they  were  now  near  a  mile  away. 

Paris  was  wild  with  joy  at  the  destruction  of  the 
towers  which  had  menaced  it,  and  the  conflagration  of 
nigh  half  the  Danish  fleet,  laden  with  the  spoil  of 
northern  France.  Edmund  and  his  Saxons  were  con- 
ducted in  triumph  by  a  shouting  crowd  to  the  palace  of 
the  archbishop,  where  Goslin,  in  the  name  of  the  city, 
returned  them  the  heartiest  thanks  for  the  services  which 
they  had  rendered.  The  wealthy  citizens  vied  with  each 
other  in  bestowing  costly  presents  upon  them,  bonfires 
were  lighted  in  the  streets,  and  till  morning  the  town 
gave  itself  up  to  revelry  and  rejoicing. 

A  month  elapsed  before  the  Danes  recovered  from  the 
blow  which  had  been  dealt  them  and  resumed  the  assault. 
Part  of  this  time  had  been  spent  in  manufacturing  great 
shields  of  bull's  hide.  These  were  strongly  constructed, 
and  were  each  capable  of  covering  six  men.  On  the  29th 
of  January  their  preparations  were  complete,  and  at  day- 
break the  warders  on  the  wall  saw  them  pouring  down 
into  their  ships  and  gfalleys.  As  the  fleet  crossed  the 
river  its  aspect  was  singular.    The  decks  were  covered 


THE   REPULSE    OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  20$ 

by  the  black  shields,  above  which  appeared  a  forest  of 
spears,  sparkling  in  the  morning  sunlight.  As  they, 
reached  the  shore  the  Northmen  sprang  to  land,  while 
from  the  decks  of  the  vessels  a  storm  of  missiles  flew 
toward  the  walls.  Vast  numbers  of  catapults,  which 
they  had  manufactured  since  their  last  attack,  hurled 
masses  of  stone,  heavy  javelins,  and  leaden  bullets,  while 
thousands  of  arrows  darkened  the  air. 

The  bells  of  the  church  sounded  the  alarm,  which 
called  every  citizen  capable  of  bearing  arms  to  the  walls. 
The  archbishop  took  his  place  at  the  spot  most  threat- 
ened by  the  enemy,  with  his  nephew,  the  valiant  abbe,  by 
his  side.  The  Counts  Eudes,  Robert,  Ragenaire,  Utton, 
and  Herilang  stood  foremost  among  the  defenders. 

The  Saxons,  as  before,  were  held  in  reserve,  but  to 
Edmund  and  Egbert  had  been  assigned,  at  their  urgent 
request,  the  command  of  the  defense  of  the  tower.  It 
was  against  this  point  that  the  Danes  again  made  their 
most  desperate  effort.  Their  main  body  advanced 
against  it,  and  smaller  parties  attacked  the  city  at  other 
points,  while  the  rowing  galleys,  divided  into  two  bodies, 
strove  to  destroy  the  bridge,  and  so  isolate  the  defendersi 
of  the  post. 

Around  the  tower  the  combat  was  desperate.  The 
assailants  were  well-nigh  hidden  under  their  great 
bucklers.  Their  shouts,  and  the  constant  clashing  of 
arms  which  they  maintained,  made  a  terrific  uproar;  a 
storm  of  missiles  from  the  fleet  poured  upon  the  tower, 
while  from  the  crevices  between  the  shields  the  bowmen 
shot  incessantly  at  the  defenders.  The  very  number  of 
the  Danes  hindered  their  attack,  for  the  tower  was  so 
small  that  comparatively  few  could  approach  at  once. 


S06  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

It  had  been  greatly  strengthened  since  the  last  assault, 
and  through  the  loopholes  in  the  walls  the  archers  did 
their  best  to  answer  the  storm  of  missiles  poured  into 
the  fort.  Edmund  and  Egbert  went  among  them,  beg- 
ging them  not  to  fire  at  random,  but  to  choose  moments 
when  the  movements  of  the  assailants  opened  a  space  in 
the  roof  of  shields  which  covered  them. 

Whenever  this  took  place  a  dozen  arrows  fell  true  to 
the  mark.  Some  of  those  bearing  the  shield  would  be 
struck,  and  these  falling,  a  gap  would  be  caused  through 
which  the  arrows  of  the  defenders  flew  thickly,  causing 
death  and  confusion  until  the  shield  could  be  raised  in 
its  place  again.  Boiling  liquids  were  poured  over  those 
who  approached  the  walls,  and  huge  stones  crushed  the 
shields  and  their  bearers. 

Eudes  and  his  men  valiantly  defended  the  wall,  and 
the  Danes  in  vain  strove  to  scale  it.  All  day  long  the 
battle  continued,  but  at  nightfall  the  tower  still  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  defenders,  the  deep  ditch  which  they 
had  dug  round  it  having  prevented  the  Danes  from  work- 
ing at  the  wall  as  they  had  done  in  the  previous  assault. 

When  darkness  came  on  the  Danes  did  not  retire,  but 
lay  down  in  the  positions  they  occupied,  under  their 
shields.  In  the  morning  many  ships  were  seen  crossing 
the  river  again,  and  the  defenders  saw  to  their  surprise 
numbers  of  captives  who  had  been  collected  from  the 
surrounding  country,  troops  of  oxen,  shiploads  of 
branches  of  trees,  trusses  of  hay  and  corn,  and  fagots  of 
vines  landed.  Their  surprise  became  horror  when  they 
saw  the  captives  and  the  cattle  alike  slaughtered  as  they 
landed.    Their    bodies    were    brought    forward    under 


THE   REPULSE    OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  20/ 

cover  of  the  shields  and  thrown  into  the  moat,  in  which, 
too,  were  cast  the  hay,  straw,  fagots,  and  trees. 

At  the  sight  of  the  massacre  the  archbishop  prayed  to 
the  Virgin  to  give  him  strength,  and  drawing  a  bow  to 
its  full  strength,  let  fly  an  arrow,  which,  great  as  was  the 
distance,  flew  true  to  its  mark  and  struck  the  executioner 
full  in  the  face.  This  apparent  miracle  of  the  Virgin  in 
their  favor  reanimated  the  spirit  of  the  defenders;  and  a 
solemn  service  was  instantly  held  in  the  church  in  her 
honor,  and  prayers  were  offered  to  her  to  save  Lutece, 
which  was  the  original  name  of  Paris,  and  was  still  cher- 
ished by  its  inhabitants. 

The  Danes  were  occupied  all  day  at  their  work  of  fill- 
ing up  the  moat.  The  besieged  were  not  idle,  but 
labored  at  the  construction  of  several  mangonels  capable 
of  casting  huge  blocks  of  stone.  In  the  morning  the 
Danes  planted  their  battering-rams,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  tower,  and  recommenced  the  assault.  The  new 
machines  of  the  defenders  did  great  havoc  in  their  ranks, 
their  heavy  stones  crashing  through  the  roof  of  bucklers 
and  crushing  those  who  held  them,  and  for  a  time  the 
Norsemen  desisted  from  the  attack. 

They  now  filled  three  of  their  largest  vessels  with 
combustibles,  and  placing  them  on  the  windward  side  of 
the  bridge,  set  them  alight.  The  people  of  Paris  beheld 
with  affright  these  fire  ships  bearing  down  upon  the 
bridge,  and  old  and  young  burst  into  tears  and  cries  at 
the  view  of  the  approaching  destruction,  and,  led  by  the 
archbishop,  all  joined  in  a  prayer  to  St.  Germain,  the 
patron  saint  of  Paris,  to  protect  the  city.  The  exulting 
Danes  replied  to  the  cries  of  those  on  the  walls  with 


eo8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

triumphant  shouts.  Thanks,  as  the  Franks  believed,  to 
the  interposition  of  St.  Germain,  the  fire  ships  struck 
against  the  pile  of  stones  from  which  the  beams  support- 
ing the  bridge  in  the  center  were  raised.  Eudes  and  his 
companions  leaped  down  from  the  bridge  and  with 
hatchets  hewed  holes  in  the  sides  of  the  ships  at  the 
water-line,  and  they  sank  without  having  effected  any 
damage  to  the  bridge. 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  Franks  to  raise  trium- 
phant shouts,  while  the  Danes,  disheartened,  fell  back 
from  the  attack,  and  at  night  recro^sed  the  river,  leaving 
two  of  their  battering-rams  as  tokens  of  the  triumph  of 
the  besieged.  Paris  had  now  a  respite  while  the  Danes 
again  spread  over  the  surrounding  country,  many  of 
them  ascending  the  river  in  their  ships  and  wasting  the 
country  as  far  as  Burgundy. 

The  monastery  of  St.  Germain  and  the  church  in 
which  the  body  of  the  saint  was  buried  still  remained 
untouched.  The  bands  of  Northmen  who  had  invaded 
England  had  never  hesitated  to  plunder  and  destroy  the 
churches  and  shrines  of  the  Christians,  but  hitherto  some 
thought  of  superstition  had  kept  the  followers  of  Siegfroi 
from  assailing  the  monastery  of  St.  Germain. 

One  soldier,  bolder  than  the  rest,  now  approached  the 
church  and  with  his  spear  broke  some  of  the  windows. 
The  Abbe  D'Abbon,  an  eyewitness  and  minute  historian 
of  the  siege  of  Paris,  states  that  the  impious  Dane  was  at 
once  struck  dead.  The  same  fate  befell  one  of  his  com- 
rades, who  mounted  to  the  platform  at  the  top  of  the 
church  and  in  descending  fell  off  and  was  killed.  A 
third,  who  entered  the  church  and  looked  round,  lost  his 
sight  forever.    A  fourth^  entering  it,  fell  dead;  and  a 


THE   REPULSE   OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  209 

fifth,  who,  more  bold  than  all,  tried  to  break  into  the 
tomb  of  the  saint,  was  killed  by  a  stone  which  fell  upon 
him. 

One  night  after  a  continuance  of  heavy  rain  the  Seine, 
being  greatly  swollen,  swept  away  the  center  of  the 
bridge  connecting  the  tower  with  the  town.  At  day- 
break the  Northmen,  seeing  what  had  taken  place,  has- 
tened across  the  river  and  attacked  the  tower.  The 
garrison  was  but  a  small  one,  no  more  than  twenty  men 
having  slept  there.  For  a  time  these  repulsed  every 
effort  of  the  Danes,  but  gradually  their  numbers  were 
lessened  until  at  last  fourteen  only  remained.  Their 
names  have  come  down  to  us.  Besides  Edmund  and 
Egbert  there  were  Hermanfroi,  Herivee,  Herilard,  Odo- 
acre,  Herric,  Arnold,  Sohie,  Gerbert,  Elvidon,  Hav- 
derard,  Ermard,  and  Gossuin.  These  resisted  so 
valiantly  that  the  Danes,  after  losing  large  numbers  in 
the  vain  attempt  to  storm  the  walls,  brought  up  a 
wagonful  of  grain;  this  they  rolled  forward  to  the  gate 
of  the  tower  and  set  it  on  fire. 

The  flames  rapidly  spread  from  the  gates  to  the  walls, 
which  were  all  of  wood,  and  soon  the  whole  were  a  sheet 
of  flames.  The  little  band  of  defenders  retreated  on  to 
the  end  of  the  bridge,  and  there,  when  the  flames  had 
sufficiently  abated  to  allow  them  to  pass,  the  Northmen 
attacked  them.  Edmund  and  Egbert  were  both  good 
swimmers,  but  this  was  an  accomplishment  which  but 
few  of  the  Franks  possessed,  and  none  of  the  remnant 
of  the  garrison  was  able  to  swim.  For  a  long  time  the 
little  band  repulsed  all  the  efforts  of  the  Danes,  but  were 
gradually  driven  back  foot  by  foot  until  they  reached  the 
edge  of  the  chasm.     Here  they  made  a  last  desperate 


2IO  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Stand,  but  were  at  length  cut  down  or  driven  over  by 
sheer  weight  of  numbers.  Egbert  and  Edmund  had  dis- 
encumbered themselves  of  all  their  defensive  armor,  and 
at  the  last  moment,  throwing  off  their  helmets  and  relin- 
quishing their  spears,  they  plunged  into  the  stream, 
diving  deeply  to  avoid  the  arrows  of  the  Northmen. 

The  fact  of  the  river  being  in  flood,  which  had  caused 
the  destruction  of  the  tower,  now  proved  the  cause  of 
their  safety.  Had  the  water  been  clear,  the  Danes  on 
the  bridge  above  could  have  marked  their  progress  and 
poured  a  storm  of  arrows  upon  thefti  as  they  came  to  the 
surface;  but  its  yellow  and  turbid  waters  concealed  them 
from  sight,  and  each  time  they  rose  to  the  surface  for  air 
they  were  enabled  to  take  a  rapid  breath  and  dive  again 
before  their  enemies  could  direct  and  launch  their 
arrows  at  them. 

As  they  drifted  far  down  the  stream,  they  were,  when 
they  reached  the  land,  beyond  bowshot  of  the  Danes,  and 
they  soon  entered  the  town  amid  the  loud  acclamations 
of  the  citizens.  The  Danes  now  for  the  most  part  drew 
off  from  the  neighborhood,  and  the  Abbe  Ebble  led  out 
a  sortie,  which  reached  the  Danish  camp,  and  driving 
back  those  whom  they  found  within  it,  set  it  on  fire  and 
effected  their  retreat  to  Paris  without  loss,  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  enemy,  who  rapidly  assembled  at  the  sight 
of  the  flames. 

The  Danes  had  brought  in  from  the  surrounding 
country  such  vast  quantities  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats 
that  their  camps  would  not  suffice  to  hold  them,  and  they 
turned  the  church  of  St.  Germain  into  a  stable  and 
crowded  it  with  these  animals.  The  saint,  as  the  Abbe 
D'Abbon  relates,  indignant  at  this  desecration,  sent  a 


THE   REPULSE   OF    THE    NORSEMEN.  311 

terrible  plague  among  the  cattle,  and  when  the  Danes  in 
the  morning  entered  the  church  it  contained  nothing  but 
carcasses  in  the  last  state  of  decomposition. 

The  valiant  defense  of  Paris  had  gfiven  time  for  the 
rest  of  France  to  arm,  and  the  Danes  scattered  over  the 
.country  now  met  with  a  stout  resistance.  The  North- 
men were  defeated  in  their  efforts  to  capture  Le  Mans, 
Chartres,  and  other  towns,  and  were  defeated  in  several 
battles  near  Chartres  by  Godefroi  and  Odon. 

In  March  Henri  advanced  with  a  strong  force  to  the 
relief  of  Paris,  and  arriving  at  night  attacked  the  camp 
of  the  Danes,  slew  great  numbers,  and  captured  a  vast 
booty;  and  then,  having  supplied  Paris  with  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  provisions,  retired  with  his  band 
before  the  Danes  had  time  to  assemble  in  sufficient 
strength  to  oppose  him.  Shortly  afterward  the  Danes 
expressed  the  desire  of  Siegfroi  to  hold  parley  with  the 
Count  Eudes.  Siegfroi  and  a  number  of  his  warriors 
landed,  and  Eudes  left  the  city  and-  advanced  to  meet 
them.  No  sooner  had  he  reached  them  than  he  was 
attacked  by  the  Northmen,  but  drawing  his  sword  he 
defended  himself  wfth  immense  bravery  until  the  garri- 
son ran  down  to  his  succor,  and  the  Danes  were  driven 
back  to  their  ship  with  a  loss  of  nearly  half  their  party. 

The  Danes  now  left  the  church  of  St.  Germain 
I'Auxerrois  and  surrounded  the  monastery  of  St.  Ger- 
main des  Pres,  but  the  monks  there  paid  him  sixty 
pounds  of  pure  silver  to  leave  them  in  peace.  Siegfroi 
now  wished  to  abandon  the  siege  which  had  already  cost 
him  so  dear,  but  the  Northmen,  furious  at  their  losses, 
determined  upon  another  assault. 
.    "Very  well,"  the  king  said;  "have  your  way  then. 


212  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Attack  Paris  on  all  sides,  hew  down  its  towers,  and  make 
breaches  in  its  walls;  for  once  I  will  remain  a  spectator." 

The  Danes  crossed  the  river  and  landed  on  the  island, 
but  owing  to  the  absence  of  large  numbers  on  other 
expeditions,  and  the  heavy  losses  which  they  had  suf- 
fered, their  numbers  were  no  longer  so  overwhelming, 
and  Count  Eudes  led  out  his  forces  to  oppose  them  out- 
side the  walls.  This  time  Edmund  headed  his  band  of 
Saxons,  who  until  now  had  only  taken  part  as  archers  in 
the  defense. 

The  combat  was  a  furious  one.  In  spite  of  the  valor 
of  Eudes  and  Ebble  the  Danes  pressed  hard  upon  the 
Franks,  and  were  driving  them  back  toward  the  gates 
when  Edmund  led  his  Saxons,  in  the  close  phalanx  in 
which  they  had  so  often  met  the  Danes  in  the  field,  to  the 
front.  With  irresistible  force  the  wedge  burst  its  way 
through  the  ranks  of  the  Danes,  bearing  all  before  it  with 
its  wedge  of  spears.  Into  the  gap  thus  formed  Eudes 
and  Ebble  with  their  bravest  men  threw  themselves,  and 
the  Danes,  severed  in  two,  were  driven  back  toward 
their  ships.  But  for  some  hours  the  rain  had  been  fall- 
ing heavily  and  the  river  was  rapidly  rising  and  had 
already  overflowed  a  portion  of  the  island.  Thus  the 
Danes  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  on  board  their  ships 
again,  and  great  numbers  were  killed  in  doing  so. 

There  was  no  longer  any  resistance  to  Siegfroi's 
wishes.  A  parley  was  held  with  the  city,  and  a  further 
sum  being  added  to  that  contributed  by  the  monks  of 
St.  Germain  des  Pres  the  Danes  drew  off  from  the  town. 

At  this  time  the  long  confinement  of  so  many  men 
within  the  walls  had  caused  a  pestilence  to  break  out  in 
Paris.    The  Archbishop  Goslin,  the  Bishop  Everard  of 


THE    REPULSE    OF    THE   NORSEMEN.  213 

Sens,  the  Prince  Hugues,  and  many  others  died.  The 
i6th  of  April  was  the  day  on  which  the  Parisians  were 
accustomed  to  go  in  solemn  procession  to  the  church  of 
St.  Germain.  The  Northmen,  knowing  this,  in  mockery 
filled  a  wagon  with  grain  and  organized  a  mock  proces- 
sion. The  bullocks  who  drew  the  chariot  suddenly  be- 
came lame;  numbers  of  other  bullocks  were  attached, 
but  although  goaded  by  spears  their  united  efforts  were 
unable  to  drag  the  wagon  an  inch,  and  the  Danes  were 
obliged  at  last  to  abandon  their  intention. 

The  same  day  St.  Germain  is  reported  to  have  further 
shown  his  power.  One  of  the  Northmen,  condemned 
for  some  offense  to  be  executed,  fled  to  the  church  for 
refuge,  and  was  there  slain  by  his  countrymen;  but  all 
who  took  part  in  the  deed  at  once  fell  dead.  The  North- 
men, struck  by  these  miracles,  placed  a  certain  number 
as  guard  over  the  church  to  prevent  any  from  touching 
aught  that  it  contained.  One  of  these  men,  a  Dane  of 
great  stature,  spread  his  bed  in  the  church  and  slept 
there;  but  to  the  astonishment  of  his  comrades  he  was 
found  in  the  morning  to  have  shrunk  to  the  size  of  a 
newborn  infant,  at  which  stature  he  remained  for  the 
rest  of  his  life. 

A  miracle  of  an  opposite  kind  was  at  the  same  time 
performed  in  the  town.  A  valiant  warrior  had  from  the 
effects  of  fever  fallen  into  an  extreme  weakness,  and  was 
devoured  with  grief  at  the  thought  that  he  should  no 
longer  be  able  to  take  share  in  the  defense  of  the  town. 
To  him  St.  Germain  appeared  at  night  and  told  him  that 
his  prayers  had  been  heard,  and  that  his  strength  should 
be  restored  to  him.  On  awakening  in  the  morning  he 
found  that  he  was  as  vigorous  and  as  robust  as  ever. 


214         THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Another  day,  when  the  soldiers  were  carrying  the 
banner  of  the  saint  round  the  walls  of  the  town,  followed 
by  the  citizens  chanting  hymns,  one  of  the  bearers  of 
the  holy  relics,  named  Gozbert,  was  struck  by  a  stone 
from  a  catapult.  The  man  who  had  fired  it  fell  dead, 
while  Gozbert  continued  his  promenade  in  no  way 
injured  by  the  blow.  The  Abbe  D'Abbon  vouches  for 
these  miracles  on  the  part  of  St.  Germain  in  defense  of 
his  faithful  city. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

FRIENDS    IN    TROUBLE. 

Although  for  a  time  the  Northmen  abstained  from 
grand  assauhs,  continued  skirmishes  took  place.  Some- 
times parties  landed  beneath  the  walls,  and  strove  to 
carry  off  the  cattle  which  the  besieged  turned  out  to 
gather  a  little  fresh  food  there.  Sometimes  the  citizens, 
led  by  Eudes  or  Ebble,  would  take  boat  and  cross,  and 
endeavor  to  cut  off  small  parties  of  the  enemy.  They 
had  now  sufficient  boats  at  their  disposal  for  expeditions 
of  this  kind;  for,  in  their  last  defeat,  the  Danes  had  in 
their  haste  left  several  boats  behind  them.  Of  one  of 
the  largest  of  these  Edmund  took  possession,  and  going 
out  in  her  at  night,  several  times  succeeded  in  capturing 
Danish  vessels,  sometimes  while  they  were  rowing  along 
the  river  unsuspicious  that  any  foes  were  near,  some- 
times by  boarding  them  as  they  lay  alongside  the  bank. 

As  the  vessels  so  captured  were  too  large  to  be 
dragged  ashore,  and  could  have  been  easily  recaptured 
by  the  Danes,  they  were,  after  being  emptied  of  their 
contents,  always  burned.  The  plague  continued  its 
ravages,  and  the  city  became  straitened  for  provisions. 
Count  Eudes  therefore  determined  to  go  to  King  Charles 
to  urge  him  to  hurry  to  the  succor  of  the  town.  Almost 
all  the  chiefs  of  the  defense  had  fallen  victims  to  the  pest, 
or  had  been  killed  in  battle  with  the  Danes,  and  the  count 
at  his  departure  committed  the  defense  of  the  city  to  the 


8l6  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Abbe  Ebble  and  Edmund.  He  then  crossed  the  stream' 
at  night,  and  made  his  way  successfully  through  the 
Danes. 

The  abbe  and  Edmund  vied  with  each  other  in  keep- 
ing up  the  spirits  of  the  garrison  with  successful  little 
forays  with  the  Danes;  frequently  crossing  the  river  to 
the  one  bank  or  the  other,  sometimes  with  parties  of 
only  five  or  six  men,  and  falling  upon  similar  bodies  of 
the  enemy.  Several  times  they  pounced  upon  small 
herds  of  the  enemy's  cattle,  and  driving  them  into  the 
river  directed  them  in  their  boats  across  the  stream. 

In  the  commencement  of  July  Eudes  appeared  on  the 
slopes  on  Mont  Martre  with  three  battalions  of  soldiers. 
The  enemy,  who  were  for  the  most  part  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Seine,  crossed  the  river.  A  desperate  battle 
ensued.  A  portion  of  the  garrison  crossed  in  boats  to 
the  assistance  of  their  friends,  Edmund  leading  over  his 
band  of  Saxons.  With  these  he  fell  upon  the  rear  of  the 
Danes  engaged  in  fighting  with  the  force  under  the 
count,  and  the  Northmen,  attacked  on  both  sides,  gave 
way  and  took  to  flight.  They  were  hotly  pursued  by  the 
Franks. 

The  re-enforcements  entered  Paris  triumphantly  by 
the  bridge,  which  had  long  since  been  repaired.  But 
the  siege  was  not  yet  over.  When  the  news  of  the  vic- 
tory of  Eudes  spread,  the  Danes  again  drew  together 
from  all  parts,  and,  crossing  the  river,  attacked  the  city 
on  every  side.  The  onslaught  was  more  furious  than 
any  which  had  preceded  it.  The  Danes  had  provided 
themselves  with  large  numbers  of  mangonels  and  cata- 
pults. Every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  upon 
the  walls;  but  so  furious  was  the  attack,  so  vast  the  num- 


FRIENDS   IN    TROUBLE.  21? 

ber  of  the  assailants,  so  prodigious  were  the  clouds  of 
missiles  which  they  rained  upon  the  walls,  that  the 
besieged  almost  lost  heart. 

The  relics  of  St.  Genevieve  were  taken  round  the 
walls.  In  several  places  the  Danes  had  formed  breaches 
in  the  walls,  and  although  the  besieged  still  struggled, 
hope  had  well-nigh  left  them,  and  abject  terror  reigned 
in  the  city.  Women  ran  about  the  streets,  screaming 
and  crying  that  the  end  was  at  hand.  The  church  bells 
tolled  dismally,  and  the  shouts  of  the  exultant  Danes 
rose  higher  and  higher.  Again  a  general  cry  rose  to 
St.  Germain  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  town.  Just  at  this 
moment  Edmund  and  Egbert,  who  had  till  now  held  the 
Saxons  in  reserve,  feeling  that  a  desperate  effort  must  be 
made,  formed  up  their  band,  and  advancing  to  the  prin- 
cipal breach,  passed  through  the  ranks  of  the  disheart- 
ened Franks,  and  with  leveled  pikes  charged  headlong 
down  into  the  crowd  of  Danes.  The  latter,  already 
exhausted  by  their  efforts,  were  at  once  borne  back  be- 
fore the  serried  pikes  of  their  fresh  assailants.  In  vain 
their  chiefs  at  that  point  tried  to  rally  them;  nothing 
could  withstand  the  impetus  of  the  Saxon  attack. 

Astonished  at  seeing  the  tide  of  battle  swept  away  from 
the  breach,  the  French  believed  that  St.  Germain  had 
wrought  a  miracle  in  their  favor,  and,  taking  heart, 
poured  out  in  the  rear  of  the  Saxons.  The  news  of  the 
miracle  spread  rapidly.  Through  the  breaches,  and 
from  every  gate,  they  poured  out  suddenly  upon  the 
Danes,  who,  struck  with  consternation  at  this  sudden 
onslaught  by  a  foe  whom  they  had  already  regarded  as 
beaten,  hesitated,  and  soon  took  to  flight.  Vast  numbers 
were  cut  down  before  they  could  reach  their  vessels.     A 


«l8  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

great  portion  fled  toward  the  bridge  and  endeavored  to 
cross  there;  but  their  numbers  impeded  them,  and  the 
Saxons  and  Franks,  falling  upon  their  rear,  effected  a 
terrible  slaughter. 

Two  days  after  the  battle  a  fcM-ce  of  six  hundred  Franks 
arrived  from  the  Emperor  Charles.  The  Danes  sought 
to  oppose  their  entrance  to  the  city,  but  were  defeated 
with  a  loss  of  three  thousand  men.  The  siege  was  now 
virtually  over,  and  in  a  short  time  the  emperor  himself 
with  a  great  army  arrived.  It  was  now  November,  and 
after  some  negotiations  the  Danes  agreed,  upon  the 
receipt  of  seven  hundred  pounds  of  silver,  to  retire  to 
Burgundy  and  to  leave  the  country  at  the  beginning  of 
March. 

Having  wasted  Burgundy,  however,  they  again  re- 
turned to  Paris.  Consternation  seized  the  capital  when 
the  fleet  of  the  Northmen  was  seen  approaching.  A 
treaty,  was,  however,  made,  for  the  wind  had  fallen  just 
when  the  Danish  fleet,  which  had  but  lately  arrived  and 
was  descending  the  river,  was  abreast  of  Paris.  As  soon 
as  the  wind  became  favorable  the  Northmen  broke  the 
truce,  slew  a  number  of  Franks  who  had  mingled  among 
them,  and  passed  up  the  Marne. 

In  the  meantime  the  Emperor  Charles  had  died  and 
Count  Eudes  had  been  chosen  his  successor.  When  the 
Danes  again  advanced  against  Paris  he  speedily  sent 
re-enforcements.  The  town  had  already  repulsed  an 
attack.  Eudes  himself  on  St.  John's  Day  was  advancing 
with  one  thousand  men-at-arms  when  he  was  attacked 
by  ten  thousand  mounted  Danes  and  nine  thousand 
footmen.  The  combat  was  desperate,  but  the  Franks 
were  victorious.    Eudes,  however,  had  other  difficulties. 


FRIENDS  IN   TROUBLE.  319 

Burgundy  and  Aquitaine  revolted,  and  in  order  to  secure 
peace  to  the  kingdom  he  made  a  treaty  with  the  Danes, 
giving  over  to  them  the  province  of  Normandy. 

Edmund  and  Egbert  had  no  part  in  the  second  siege 
of  Paris.  As  soon  as  the  place  was  relieved  by  the 
Emperor  Charles  they  prepared  to  depart.  Taking 
boats  they  ascended  the  river,  and  to  their  joy  found  the 
Dragon  safe  in  the  hiding  place  where  she  had  been 
lying  for  nearly  a  year.  She  was  brought  out  into  the 
stream  and  floated  down  to  Paris,  where  by  the  order  of 
Count  Eudes  she  was  thoroughly  repaired  and  re- 
decorated. 

The  Franks,  convinced  that  next  only  to  the  assistance 
of  St.  Germain  they  owed  the  safety  of  their  city  to  the 
valor  of  the  Saxons,  loaded  them  with  presents;  and 
these,  with  the  gifts  which  they  had  previously  received 
after  the  destruction  of  the  three  towers,  and  the  sums 
for  which  the  booty  captured  from  the  Danes  had  been 
sold,  made  up  a  great  treasure. 

Upon  the  day  before  they  had  arranged  to  sail  a 
Danish  boat  was  seen  rowing  down  the  stream.  It  ap- 
proached the  Dragon,  and  the  helmsman  asked : 

"  Is  this  ship  the  Dragon?  and  has  it  for  a  captain 
Edmund  the  Saxon?  " 

"  I  am  Edmund,"  he  replied,  "  and  this  is  the  Dragon. 
What  would  you  with  me?  " 

'■  I  am  sent  by  the  Jarl  Siegbert,  who  lies  wounded 
near,  to  beg  that  you  will  come  to  him  immediately,  as 
he  is  in  a  sore  strait  and  needs  your  assistance." 

"  I  will  come  at  once,"  Edmund  said.  "  Put  one  of 
your  men  on  board  to  show  me  where  he  is,  for  I  shall 
be  there  before  you." 


e20  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Edmund's  horn  sounded  the  signal,  and  messengers 
iwere  sent  to  the  town  to  order  the  crew  at  once  to  repair 
on  board  the  Dragon.  Edmund  landed  and  took  leave 
of  the  Frankish  leaders.  The  provisions  and  stores  were 
hastily  carried  on  board,  and  then,  amid  the  enthusiastic 
cheers  of  the  inhabitants,  who  thronged  the  walls  and 
shore,  the  oars  were  got  out  and  the  Dragon  proceeded 
at  the  top  of  her  speed  up  the  river. 

On  the  way  Edmund  questioned  the  Dane,  and  found 
that  Siegbert  had  been  wounded  in  the  last  assault  upon 
Paris.  He  had  not  been  present  at'  the  first  part  of  the 
siege,  having  but  recently  arrived  from  Norway.  His 
daughter  Freda  had  accompanied  him.  "  Yes,"  she  was 
still  unmarried,  although  many  valiant  Northmen  had 
sought  her  hand,  chief  among  them  the  brave  leader 
Sweyn  "  of  the  left  hand  " ;  but  there  had  been  a  fray  on 
the  previous  night  in  Siegbert's  camp,  and  it  was  said — 
but  for  that  he  could  not  vouch — that  Freda  had  been 
carried  off. 

The  news  filled  Edmund  with  anxiety.  Ever  since 
the  day  he  left  her  on  her  father's  galley  his  thoughts 
had  turned  often  to  the  Danish  maiden,  and  the  resolu- 
tion to  carry  out  his  promise  and  some  day  seek  her 
again  had  never  for  a  moment  wavered.  He  had  seen 
many  fair  young  Saxons,  and  could  have  chosen  a  bride 
where  he  would  among  these,  for  few  Saxon  girls  would 
have  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  wooing  of  one  who  was  at 
once  of  high  rank,  a  prime  favorite  with  the  king,  and 
legarded  by  his  countrymen  as  one  of  the  bravest  of  the 
Saxon  champions;  but  the  dark-haired  Freda,  who 
united  the  fearlessness  and  independence  of  a  woman 
with  the  frankness  and  gayety  of  a  child,  had  won  his 
heart. 


FRIENDS    IN   TROUBLE.  221 

"  It  was  true  she  was  a  Dane  and  a  pagan;  but  her 
father  was  his  friend,  and  would,  he  felt  sure,  offer  no 
objections  on  the  ground  of  the  enmity  of  the  races. 
Since  Guthom  and  his  people  had  embraced  Christianity, 
the  enmity  between  the  races,  in  England  at  least,  was 
rapidly  declining.  As  to  her  religion,  Edmund  doubted 
not  that  she  would,  under  his  guidance  and  teaching, 
soon  cast  away  the  blood-stained  gods  of  the  Northmen 
and  accept  Christianity. 

In  the  five  years  of  strife  and  warfare  which  had 
elapsed  since  he  saw  her  Edmund  had  often  pictured 
their  next  meeting.  He  had  not  doubted  that  she  would 
remain  true  to  him.  Few  as  were  the  words  which  had 
been  spoken,  he  knew  that  when  she  said,  "  I  will  wait 
for  you  even  till  I  die,"  she  had  meant  it,  and  that  she 
was  not  one  to  change.  He  had  even  been  purposing, 
on  his  return  to  England,  to  ask  King  Alfred  to  arrange 
through  Guthorn  for  a  safe  pass  for  him  to  go  to  Nor- 
way. To  hear,  then,  that  she  had  been  carried  off  from 
her  father's  side  was  a  terrible  blow,  and  in  his  anxiety 
to  arrive  at  Siegbert's  tent  Edmund  urged  the  rowers  to 
their  fullest  exertions. 

It  was  three  hours  after  leaving  Paris  when  the  Dane 
pointed  to  a  village  at  a  short  distance  from  the  river  and 
told  him  that  Siegbert  was  lying  there.  The  Dragon 
was  steered  to  shore,  and  Edmund,  leaping  out,  followed 
the  Dane  with  rapid  footsteps  to  the  village.  The 
wounded  jarl  was  lying  upon  a  heap  of  straw. 

"Is  it  really  you,  Edmund?"  he  exclaimed  as  the 
young  Saxon  entered.  "  Glad  am  I  indeed  that  my, 
messenger  did  not  arrive  too  late.  I  heard  of  you  when 
we  first  landed — how  the  Danes,  when  they  sailed  up  the 


22a  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Seine,  had  seen  a  Saxon  galley  of  strange  shape  which 
had  rowed  rapidly  up  the  river;  how  the  galley  herself 
had  never  again  been  seen ;  but  how  a  young  Saxon  with 
his  band  had  performed  wonders  in  the  defense  of  Paris, 
and  had  burned  well-nigh  half  the  Danish  fleet. 

"  They  said  that  the  leader  was  named  Edmund,  for 
they  had  heard  the  name  shouted  in  battle;  and  espe- 
cially when  he,  with  one  other  alone,  escaped  from  the 
burning  tower  and  swam  the  river.  So  I  was  sure  that 
it  was  you.  Then,  a  week  back,  niy  men  told  me  of  a 
strange  ship  which  had  passed  down  the  river  to  Paris, 
and  I  doubted  not  that  it  was  your  Dragon,  which  had 
been  hidden  somewhere  during  the  siege.  I  thought 
then  of  sending  to  tell  you  that  I  was  lying  here 
wounded;  but  Freda,  who  had  always  been  talking  of 
you,  suddenly  turned  coy  and  said  that  you  might  have 
forgotten  us,  and  if  you  wanted  us  you  would  come  to 
us  in  Norway." 

"  But  where  is  Freda?  "  Edmund,  who  had  been  lis- 
tening impatiently,  exclaimed.  "  One  of  your  men  told 
me  that  she  had  been  carried  off.     Is  it  true?  " 

"Alas!  it  is  true,"  Siegbert  replied;  "and  that  is  why 
I  sent  for  you.  I  have  never  been  good  friends  with 
Bijorn  since  the  wounding  of  his  son,  but  after  a  time 
the  matter  blew  over.  Sweyn,  who  though  but  with  one 
arm,  and  that  the  left,  has  grown  into  a  valiant  warrior, 
is  now,  Bijorn  being  dead,  one  of  our  boldest  vikings. 
A  year  since  he  became  a  declared  suitor  for  Freda's 
hamd.  In  this,  indeed,  he  is  not  alone,  seeing  that  she 
has  grown  up  one  of  our  fairest  maidens,  and  many  are 
the  valorous  deeds  that  have  been  done  to  win  a  smile 
from  her;  but  she  has  refused  all  suitors,  Sweyn  with 


FRIENDS  IN    TROUBLK.  22$ 

the  Others.  He  took  his  refusal  in  bad  part,  and  even 
ventured  to  vow  she  should  be  his  whether  she  willed  it 
or  not.  Of  course  I  took  the  matter  up  and  forbade  all 
further  intimacy,  and  we  had  not  met  again  till  the  other 
day  before  Paris.  We  had  high  words  there,  but  I 
thought  no  more  of  it.  A  few  days  afterward  I  was 
struck  by  a  cross-bow  bolt  in  the  leg.  It  smashed  my 
knee,  and  I  shall  never  be  able  to  use  my  leg  again.  I 
well-nigh  died  of  fever  and  vexation,  but  Freda  nursed 
me  through  it.  She  had  me  carried  on  a  litter  here  to 
be  away  from  the  noise  and  revelry  of  the  camp.  Last 
night  there  was  a  sudden  outcry.  Some  of  my  men  who 
sprang  to  arms  were  smitten  down,  and  the  assailants 
burst  in  here  and  tore  Freda,  shrieking,  away.  Their 
leader  was  Sweyn  of  the  left  hand.  As  I  lay  tossing 
here,  mad  with  the  misfortune  which  ties  me  to  my 
couch,  I  thought  of  you.  I  said,  '  If  any  can  follow  and 
recapture  Freda,  it  is  Edmund.'  The  Danes  had  for  the 
most  part  moved  away,  and  there  were  few  would  care  to 
risk  a  quarrel  with  Sweyn  in  a  matter  which  concerned 
them  not  closely;  but  I  felt  that  I  could  rely  upon  you, 
and  that  you  would  spare  no  pains  to  rescue  my  child." 

"  That  will  I  not!  "  Edmund  exclaimed;  "  but  tell  me 
first  what  you  think  are  his  plans.  Which  way  has  he 
gone,  and  what  force  has  he  with  him?  " 

"  The  band  he  commands  are  six  shiploads,  each  num- 
bering fifty  men.  What  his  plans  may  be  I  know  not, 
but  many  of  the  Danes,  I  know,  purposed,  when  the  war 
was  finished  here,  to  move  east  through  Burgundy. 
Some  intended  to  build  boats  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine 
and  sail  down  on  that  river,  others  intended  to  journey 
further  and  to  descend  by  the  Elbe.     I  know  not  which 


524  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

course  Sweyn  may  adopt.  The  country  between  this, 
and  the  Rhine  swarms  with  Danes.  I  do  not  suppose 
that  Sweyn  will  join  any  other  party.  Having  Freda 
with  him,  he  will  prefer  keeping  apart;  but  in  any  case 
it  would  not  be  safe  for  you  to  journey  with  your  band, 
who  would  assuredly  become  embroiled  with  the  first 
party  of  Danes  they  met;  and  even  if  they  be  as  brave 
as  yourself  they  would  be  defeated  by  such  superior 
numbers." 

"  You  do  not  think  that  Sweyn  will  venture  to  use 
violence  to  force  Freda  to  become  'his  wife?  " 

"  I  think  he  will  hardly  venture  upon  that,"  Siegbert 
said,  "  however  violent  and  headstrong  he  may  be.  To 
carry  off  a  maiden  for  a  wife  is  accounted  no  very  evil 
deed,  for  the  maiden  is  generally  not  unwilling;  but  to 
force  her  by  violence  to  become  his  wife  would  be  a  deed 
so  contrary  to  our  usages  that  it  would  bring  upon  him 
the  anger  of  the  whole  nation.  Knowing  Sweyn's  dis- 
position, I  believe  that,  were  there  no  other  way,  he 
would  not  hesitate  even  at  this,  but  might  take  ship  and 
carry  her  to  some  distant  land;  but  he  would  not  do 
this  until  all  other  means  fail.  He  will  strive  to  tire  her 
out,  and  so  bring  her  in  her  despair  to  consent  to  wed 
him." 

Edmund  was  silent  for  three  or  four  minutes ;  then  he 
said :  "  I  must  consult  my  kinsman  Egbert.  I  will  re- 
turn and  tell  you  what  I  purpose  doing." 

On  leaving  the  cottage  Edmund  found  Egbert  walk- 
ing up  and  down  outside,  awaiting  the  result  of  the  inter- 
view. He  had  been  present  when  the  Dane  had  told  of 
Freda's  abduction,  and  knew  how  sore  a  blow  it  was  to 
the  young  ealdorman,  for  Edmund  had  made  no  secret 


FRIENDS   IN    TROUBLE.  225 

to  him  of  his  intention  some  day  to  wed  the  Danish  jarl's 
daughter.  Edmund  in  a  few  words  related  to  him  the 
substance  of  Siegbert's  narrative,  and  ended  by  saying: 
"  Now,  Egbert,  what  is  best  to  be  done?  " 

"  'Tis  of  no  use  asking  me,  Edmund ;  you  know  well 
enough  that  it  is  you  that  always  decide  and  I  agree.  I 
have  a  hand  to  strike,  but  no  head  to  plan.  Tell  me  only 
what  you  wish,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  I  will  do  my 
best  to  execute  it." 

*•  Of  course  we  must  follow,"  Edmund  said ;  "  of  that 
there  is  no  question.  The  only  doubt  is  as  to  the  force 
we  must  take.  What  Siegbert  said  is  true.  The  Danish 
bands  are  so  numerous  to  the  east  that  we  should  be  sure 
to  fall  in  with  some  of  them,  and  fight  as  we  might, 
should  be  destroyed;  and  yet,  with  a  smaller  number, 
how  could  we  hope  to  rescue  Freda  from  Sweyn's 
hands?" 

Edmund  walked  up  and  down  for  some  time. 

"  I  think,"  he  went  on  at  last,  "  the  best  plan  will  be 
to  take  a  party  of  but  four  at  most.  I  must  choose  those 
who  will  be  able  to  pass  best  as  Danes.  With  so  small 
a  number  I  may  traverse  the  country  unobserved.  I 
will  take  with  me  two  of  Siegbert's  men,  who,  when  we 
get  nigh  to  Sweyn's  band,  may  join  with  him  and  tell  me 
how  things  are  going,  and  how  Sweyn  treats  his  captive. 
If  I  find  he  is  pushing  matters  to  an  extreme  I  must 
make  some  desperate  effort  to  carry  her  off;  but  if,  as 
is  more  probable,  he  trusts  to  time  to  break  her  resolu- 
tion, I  shall  follow  at  a  short  distance." 

"  Shall  I  go  with  you,  Edmund?  " 

"  I  think  it  will  be  better  not,  Egbert.  Your  beant 
would  mark  you  as  a  Saxon  at  once." 


236  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  But  that  I  can  cut  off,"  Egbert  said.  "  It  would  be 
a  sacrifice  truly,  but  I  would  do  it  without  hesitation." 

"  Thanks,  dear  kinsman,  but  I  think  it  would  be  of 
more  purpose  for  you  to  remain  in  command  of  the 
Dragon.  She  may  meet  many  foes,  and  it  were  best 
that  you  were  there  to  fight  and  direct  her.  I  pray  you 
al  once  to  descend  the  Seine  and,  sailing  round  the  north 
coast  of  France,  place  the  Dragon  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Rhine.  Do  not  interfere  with  any  Danish  ships  that  you 
may  see  pass  out,  but  keep  at  a  distance.  Should  Sweyn 
descend  the  Rhine  I  will,  if  possible,  send  a  messenger 
down  before  him,  so  do  you  look  out  for  small  boats; 
and  if  you  see  one  in  which  the  rower  hoists  a  white  flag 
at  the  end  of  his  oar,  you  will  know  he  is  my  messenger. 
If  I  find  that  Sweyn  goes  on  toward  the  Elbe  I  will  also 
send  you  word,  and  you  will  then  move  the  Dragon  to 
the  mouth  of  that  river. 

"  Lastly,  if  you  receive  no  message,  but  if  you  mark 
that  in  a  Danish  vessel,  when  passing  you,  a  white  cloth 
is  waved  from  one  of  the  windows  of  the  cabins  in  the 
poop,  that  will  be  a  signal  to  you  that  the  vessel  is 
Sweyn's,  and  that  Freda  is  a  captive  on  board.  In  that 
case  you  will  of  course  at  once  attack  it.  Let  us  ask 
Siegbert.  He  has  sailed  up  both  the  Rhine  and  the 
Elbe,  and  can  tell  us  of  some  quiet  port  near  the  mouth 
of  each  river  where  you  may  lay  the  Dragon  somewhat 
out  of  sight  of  passers-by,  while  you  can  yet  note  all 
ships  that  go  down  the  river.  My  messengers  will  then 
know  where  to  find  you."  Having  settled  this  point 
they  returned  to  Siegbert,  and  Edmund  told  him  what 
he  thought  of  doing. 

"  I  can  advise  no  better,"  Siegbert  said.    "  Assuredly 


FRIENDS   IN    TROUBLE.  237 

you  cannot  prevail  by  force.  At  present  I  have  only  ten 
of  my  followers  with  me;  the  rest,  after  I  was  wounded, 
and  it  was  plain  that  a  long  time  must  elapse  before  I 
could  again  lead  them  in  the  field,  asked  me  to  let  them 
follow  some  other  chief,  and  as  they  could  not  be  idle 
here  I  consented.  I  have  ten  men  with  me,  but  these 
twould  be  but  a  small  re-enforcement.  As  you  say,  your 
Saxons  would  be  instantly  known,  and  the  Northmen 
have  suffered  so  at  their  hands  during  the  siege  that  the 
first  party  you  met  would  set  upon  you." 

"  I  will  take  two  only  of  your  men,"  Edmund  said. 
**  Choose  me  two  who  are  not  known  by  sight  to  Sweyn* 
I  wish  one  to  be  a  subtle  fellow,  who  will  act  as  a  spy  for 
me;  the  other  I  should  choose  of  commanding  stature 
and  the  air  of  a  leader.  He  will  go  with  my  party,  and 
should  we  come  upon  Danes  he  will  assume  the  place  of 
leader,  and  can  answer  any  questions.  There  is  far  too 
much  difference  between  the  Saxon  and  Danish  tongue 
for  me  and  my  men  to  pass  as  Danes  if  we  have  many 
words  to  say.  I  shall  take  four  of  my  men,  all  full 
grown,  strong,  and  good  fighters.  They  have  but  little 
hair  upon  their  chins  at  present,  and  they  can  shave  that 
off.  Now,  jarl,  I  want  five  Danish  dresses,  for  your  cos- 
tume differs  somewhat  from  ours.  Have  you  horses? 
If  not,  I  must  send  back  to  Paris  to  buy  some." 

"  I  have  plenty  to  mount  you  and  your  party." 

"  Good,"  Edmund  said;  "  I  will  go  down  to  my  ship 
and  pick  my  men." 

In  half  an  hour  the  party  was  ready  to  start.  Egbert 
had  received  from  Siegbert  particulars  of  villages  at  the 
mouths  of  the  Rhine  and  Elbe,  and  he  promised  Edmund 
that  a  watch  should  be  kept  night  and  day  at  the  mouth 


228  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

of  the  Rhine  until  a  messenger  arrived.  Edmund  had 
already  ascertained  that  Sweyn  had  left  a  fortnight  before 
with  his  following,  and  had  marched  toward  Champagne. 
There  probably  he  had  halted  his  main  body,  returning 
only  with  a  party  of  horsemen  to  carry  off  Freda. 

"  I  would  I  could  go  with  you,"  Siegbert  groaned  as 
Edmund  said  adieu  to  him.  "  I  would  ride  straight  into 
his  camp  and  challenge  him  to  mortal  combat;  but  as  it 
is  I  am  helpless." 

"  Never  fear,  good  Siegbert,"  Edmund  said  cheerfully; 
*'  when  your  leg  is  cured  travel  straight  homeward,  and 
there  I  trust  before  very  long  to  place  Freda  safe  and 
unharmed  in  your  arms.  If  I  come  not,  you  will  know 
that  I  have  perished." 

A  minute  later,  after  a  few  parting  words  with  Egbert, 
Edmund  mounted  his  horse  and,  followed  by  his  six 
companions,  rode  off  at  full  speed.  He  knew  that  it 
would  be  useless  making  any  inquiries  about  Sweyn  and 
his  party.  But  few  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  were 
to  be  seen  about,  for  the  Danes  had  burned  every  house 
within  very  many  miles  of  Paris,  and  the  peasants  would 
assuredly  not  have  paid  any  special  attention  to  a  party 
of  Danes,  for  whenever  they  saw  the  dreaded  marauders 
even  at  a  distance  they  forsook  their  homes  and  fled  to 
the  forest.  The  party  therefore  rode  eastward  until 
nightfall,  then  picketed  their  horses,  and  having  lit  a  fire, 
made  their  supper  from  the  store  of  provisions  they  had 
brought  with  them,  and  then  lay  down  to  sleep  for  the 
night. 

At  daybreak  they  again  started  and  continued  their 
journey  until  it  was  necessary  to  halt  to  give  their  horses 
rest.    They  had  passed  several  parties  of  Danes,  for  these 


FRIENDS   IN    TROUBLE.  229 

in  great  numbers,  after  the  siege  of  Paris  had  been  given 
up,  were  journeying  toward  Burgundy.  There  was  but 
slight  greeting  as  they  passed;  but  on  one  occasion  a 
horseman  rode  out  from  one  of  the  bands  and  entered 
into  conversation  with  the  two  Danes  who  rode  at  the 
head  of  the  party.  They  told  them  that  they  were  fol- 
lowers of  the  Jarl  Siegbert,  and  were  riding  to  join  the 
rest  of  his  band,  who  were  with  the  company  of  Jarl  Eric, 
as  Siegbert  would  be  long  before  he  would  be  able  to 
move,  and  had  therefore  kept  only  a  few  of  his  followers 
with  him. 

"  Eric  is  a  long  way  ahead,"  the  Dane  said ;  "  he  must 
be  full  as  far  as  Nancy  by  this  time.  Those  who  left 
first,"  he  grumbled,  "  will  have  the  pick  of  the  country. 
We  were  fools  to  linger  so  long  before  Paris."  Then, 
turning  his  horse,  he  rode  back  to  his  comrades,  and  the 
party  continued  their  way. 

They  avoided  all  towns  and  large  Danish  encampments 
on  the  way,  but  made  inquiries  from  all  small  parties  they 
met  after  the  party  of  Sweyn.  They  learned  without 
difficulty  the  place  where  he  had  been  encamped  a  few 
days  before,  but  on  their  arriving  in  the  neighborhood 
they  found  that  the  place  was  deserted,  nor  could  any 
tell  them  the  direction  in  which  the  Northmen  had 
traveled. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

FREDA. 

For  some  days  Edmund  and  his  party  scoured  the 
eountry  round,  journeying  now  in  one  direction,  now  in 
another,  but  without  hearing  aught  of  Sweyn's  party. 
Certainly  they  had  not  gone  along  the  track  which  the 
main  body  of  the  Danes  had  followed;  but  the  question 
was  whether  they  had  turned  rather  to  the  south  in  order 
to  cross  the  mountain  ranges  between  them  and  the 
Rhine,  or  had  turned  north  and  journeyed  through  the 
great  forest  of  Ardennes,  and  so  to  some  of  the  other 
rivers  which  run  down  into  the  North  Sea. 

The  latter  was  in  some  respects  the  most  likely  course 
to  have  been  chosen.  By  taking  it  Sweyn  would  avoid 
altogether  the  track  which  the  majority  of  his  country- 
men were  taking,  and  this  would  naturally  be  his  object. 
Siegbert  had  many  powerful  friends,  and  the  carrying 
off  of  the  jarl's  daughter  from  the  side  of  her  wounded 
father  would  be  regarded  as  a  grave  offense;  and  Sweyn 
might  well  wish  to  keep  clear  of  his  countrymen  until  he 
had  forced  Freda  to  become  his  wife.  Even  then  it 
would  not  be  safe  for  him  for  a  long  time  to  return  to 
his  country.  Striking  through  the  Ardennes  he  would 
come  down  upon  the  Scheldt,  the  Moselle,  the  Maas,  or 
other  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the  North  Sea  direct,  or 
into  the  Rhine. 

Edmund   knew   nothing   of   these   streams;  but   the 

•*> 


FREDA.  231 

Danes  with  him  said  there  were  several  rivers  so  situated, 
for  they  had  sailed  up  them.  Where  they  took  their  rise 
they  knew  not,  but  it  would  probably  be  in  or  beyond 
the  forest  of  Ardennes. 

"  Then  in  that  way  we  will  search,"  Edmund  said. 
**  If  they  come  upon  a  river  they  will  doubtless  set  to 
.work  to  build  galleys  to  carry  them  to  the  sea,  for  with 
only  three  hundred  men  Sweyn  will  not  venture  to  march 
by  land  through  a  country  which  has  but  lately  suffered 
heavily  at  the  hands  of  the  Danes.  It  will  take  him  a 
month  or  six  weeks  to  cut  down  trees  and  build  his  ships; 
therefore  we  may  hope  to  find  him  before  he  is  ready  to 
embark.  First  we  will  push  through  the  forest  to  the 
other  side;  there  we  will  question  the  inhabitants  con- 
cerning the  position  of  the  nearest  rivers;  then  we  will 
divide  into  parties  and  go  on  the  search,  appointing  a 
place  of  rendezvous  where  we  may  rejoin  each  other. 
It  can  hardly  be  that  we  shall  fail  to  find  them  if  they 
have  taken  that  way." 

Before  entering  the  forest  they  obtained  a  considerable 
store  of  provisions;  for  they  had  no  idea  of  its  extent, 
and  had  no  time  to  spend  in  hunting  game.  The  forest 
of  Ardennes  was  at  that  time  of  immense  size,  extending 
from  Verdun  and  Metz  on  the  south  to  Liege  and  Aix 
on  the  north. 

Men  of  the  present  day  would  have  found  it  impossible 
to  find  their  way  through,  but  would  speedily  have  been 
lost  in  its  trackless  recesses;  but  the  Saxons  and  Danes 
were  accustomed  to  travel  in  forests,  and  knew  the  signs 
as  well  as  did  the  redskins  and  hunters  of  the  American 
forests.  Therefore  they  felt  no  hesitation  in  entering  th* 
forest  without  a  guide. 


832  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

The  danger  which  might  beset  them  was  of  a  different 
kind.  Immense  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  of  France, 
Champagne,  and  Burgundy  had  taken  refuge  in  the 
forests,  driving  their  flocks  and  herds  before  them. 
Here  they  lived  a  wild  life,  hoping  that  the  emperor 
would  ere  long  clear  the  country  of  the  invaders.  No 
mercy  could  be  expected  if  Edmund  and  his  party  fell  in 
with  a  number  of  these  fugitives.  They  would  have  no 
time  to  tell  their  story,  but  would  be  attacked  at  once  as 
a  party  of  plundering  Danes. 

Knowing  that  the  horses  would  be  an  encumbrance  to 
them  in  the  forest,  they  were  sold  to  the  last  party  of 
Northmen  they  encountered  before  entering  it,  and  they 
pursued  their  way  on  foot.  The  greatest  caution  was 
observed;  every  sound  was  marked,  and  at  the  call  of  a 
human  voice,  the  low  of  cattle,  or  the  bleating  of  sheep, 
they  turned  their  course  so  as  to  avoid  encounter  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  forest.  They  lit  no  fires  at  night, 
and  scarce  a  word  was  spoken  on  the  march.  Several 
times  they  had  to  take  refuge  in  thickets  when  they 
heard  the  sound  of  approaching  voices,  and  it  needed  all 
their  knowledge  of  woodcraft  to  maintain  their  direction 
steadily  toward  the  north.  At  last,  after  six  days'  jour- 
ney, they  issued  out  into  the  open  country  beyond  the 
forest  and  soon  arrived  at  a  cottage. 

The  peasant  was  struck  with  terror  and  astonishment 
at  the  appearance  of  seven  Danes;  and  he  could  with 
difficulty  be  made  to  understand  that  their  object  was 
neither  plunder  nor  murder,  but  that  they  wished  only 
information  from  him  of  the  situation  and  direction  of 
the  various  rivers  of  the  country.  After  learning  from 
him  all  that  he  knew  Edmund  arrived  at  the  conclusion 


FREDA.        ^  233 

that  Sweyn  would  probably  attempt  to  descend  either 
by  a  branch  of  the  Moselle,  and  so  to  the  Rhine  on  the 
right,  or  by  one  of  the  Maas  on  the  left  of  the  place  at 
which  they  had  emerged  from  the  forest. 

Edmund  decided  to  strike  the  Maas,  and  to  follow  its 
course  up  into  the  forest,  taking  with  him  one  of  the 
Danes  and  two  of  his  Saxons,  and  to  send  the  others  to 
search  the  banks  of  the  tributary  of  the  Moselle.  Before 
starting  he  sent  the  peasant  to  the  nearest  village  to  pur- 
chase garments  of  the  country  for  the  whole  party.  He 
had  already  told  the  man  that  they  were  not  Danes  but 
Saxons,  the  bitter  enemies  of  the  Northmen,  and  that  he 
had  been  aiding  in  the  defense  of  Paris  against  them. 

The  peasant  did  not  doubt  what  Edmund  told  him, 
for  the  conduct  of  his  visitors  was  so  opposed  to  all  that 
he  had  heard  of  the  doings  of  the  Danes  that  he  well 
believed  they  could  not  belong  to  that  nation.  He  was 
away  some  hours,  and  returned  with  the  required  dresses. 
Having  put  these  on,  and  laying  aside  their  helmets  and 
shields,  the  two  parties  started,  the  Danes  alone  carry- 
ing with  them  their  former  garments.  The  next  day 
Edmund  arrived  at  the  river,  and  at  once  followed  its 
course  upward,  for  Sweyn  and  his  party  would  be  build- 
ing their  ships  in  the  forest. 

They  had  not  proceeded  many  miles  before  they  heard 
the  sound  of  axes.  Edmund  gave  an  exclamation  of 
delight.  It  was  almost  certain  that  he  had  hit  upon 
Sweyn's  track,  for  it  was  unlikely  that  any  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country  would  have  gone  so  far  into  the 
forest  for  timber.  They  now  moved  with  the  greatest 
caution,  and  as  they  approached  the  place  whence  the 
sound  proceeded  Edmund  halted  the  two  Saxons  and 


234  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

bade  them  conceal  themselves.  The  Dane  resumed  his 
own  garments  and  put  on  his  helmet  and  shield;  and 
then,  taking  advantage  of  every  clump  of  undergrowth, 
and  moving  with  the  greatest  caution,  he  and  Edmund 
made  their  way  forward.  Presently  they  came  within 
sight  of  an  animated  scene. 

A  large  number  of  trees  had  been  felled  by  the  banks 
of  the  river  and  three  hundred  Northmen  were  busily 
at  work.  The  frames  of  two  great  galleys  had  already 
been  set  up,  and  they  were  now  engaged  in  chopping 
out  planks  for  their  sides.  Two  huts  were  erected  in 
the  middle  of  the  clearing.  One  was  large,  and  Sweyn's 
banner  floated  from  a  sp/ear  before  it.  The  other,  which 
stood  close  by,  was  much  smaller,  and  Edmund  doubted 
not  that  this  was  appropriated  to  Freda. 

Nothing  more  could  be  done  now — their  object  was  so 
far  attained;  and,  retiring,  they  joined  the  two  Saxons 
and  made  their  way  along  the  river  bank  till  they  reached 
the  edge  of  the  forest.  One  of  the  Saxons  was  now  sent 
off  to  the  peasant's  hut,  where  he  was  to  remain  until  the 
return  of  the  other  party,  and  was  then  to  bring  them  on 
to  the  spot  which  Edmund  had  chosen  for  his  encamp- 
ment. This  was  in  the  heart  of  a  large  clump  of  under- 
wood extending  down  to  the  river. 

The  brushwood  was  so  thick  that  it  was  entered  with 
difficulty,  and  no  passer-by  would  dream  that  a  party 
was  hidden  within  it.  Near  the  stream  Edmund  and  his 
companions  with  their  swords  soon  cleared  away  a  circle, 
and  with  the  boughs  constructed  an  arbor.  A  thin 
screen  of  bushes  separated  them  from  the  river,  but  they 
could  see  the  water,  and  none  could  pass  up  or  dowa 
tinperceived. 


PREDA.  235 

The  Saxon  was  charged  to  bring  with  him  on  his  re- 
turn a  considerable  supply  of  provisions,  for  it  would 
have  been  dangerous  to  wander  in  the  woods  in  pursuit 
of  game.  The  Northmen  had,  Edmund  noticed,  some 
cattle  with  them;  but  they  would  be  sure  to  be  hunting 
in  the  woods,  as  they  would  wish  to  save  the  cattle  for 
provision  on  their  voyage.  It  was  nightfall  before  the 
hut  was  completed;  and  as  they  had  journeyed  far  for 
many  days  Edmund  determined  to  postpone  an  attempt 
to  discover  what  was  passing  in  Sweyn's  camp  until  the 
following  evening. 

The  day  passed  quietly,  and  toward  evening  Edmund 
and  the  Dane  started  for  Sweyn's  camp.  When  theyi 
aproached  it  they  saw  many  fires  burning,  and  the  shout- 
ing and  the  singing  of  the  Norsemen  rang  through  the 
forest.  They  waited  until  the  fires  burned  down  some- 
what and  they  could  see  many  of  the  Danes  stretching 
themselves  down  by  them.  Then  Edmund's  companion 
proceeded  to  the  camp. 

Anxious  as  Edmund  was  himself  to  learn  what  was 
doing,  he  restrained  his  impatience,  for  it  was  safer  that 
the  Northman  should  go  alone.  In  the  dull  light  of  the 
dying  fires  his  features  would  be  unnoticed,  and  his 
tongue  would  not  betray  him  if  spoken  to.  Siegbert 
had  commended  him  as  a  crafty  and  ready  fellow,  and 
Edmund  felt  that  he  would  be  able  to  gather  more  infor- 
mation than  he  could  do  himself.  From  his  place  of 
concealment  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  Northman's 
figure.  Presently  he  saw  him  enter  the  clearing,  and 
sauntering  slowly  across  it  throw  himself  down  near  a 
fire  by  which  a  party  of  Danes  were  still  sitting  talking. 

One  by  one  these  lay  down,  and  when  the  last  had 


236  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

done  so  the  Northman  rose  quietly  and  stole  out  again 
into  the  forest.  When  he  rejoined  Edmund  the  latter 
set  forward  with  him,  and  not  a  word  was  spoken  until 
they  were  some  distance  from  the  camp;  then  Edmund 
stopped. 

"What  have  you  learned?"  he  asked. 

"  All  that  there  is  to  learn,  I  think,"  the  Northman 
replied.  "  The  lady  Freda  is,  as  you  supposed,  a  captive 
in  the  little  hut.  Two  men  only  keep  watch  over  it  by^ 
day,  but  at  night  six  lie  around  it,  two  being  always  on 
foot.  They  speak  in  admiration  'of  her  courage  and 
spirit.  She  has  sworn  to  Sweyn  that  she  will  slay  herself 
if  he  attempts  to  use  violence  to  force  her  to  marriage 
with  him,  and  they  doubt  not  that  she  will  keep  her 
word.  However,  they  believe  that  she  will  grow  tired 
out  at  last  when  she  finds  that  there  is  no  hope  whatever 
of  a  rescue.  The  ships  are  being  built  for  a  long  sea 
voyage,  for  Sweyn  is  going  to  lead  them  to  join  the 
viking  Hastings  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  has  promised 
his  men  the  plunder  of  countries  ten  times  richer  than 
France  or  England.  With  so  long  an  expedition  in 
view,  they  may  well  think  that  the  Lady  Freda's  resolu- 
tion will  soon  give  way,  and  that  she  may  come  to  see 
that  the  position  of  the  wife  of  a  bold  viking  is  a  thou- 
sand times  preferable  to  that  of  a  captive.  Many  of  the 
men  loudly  express  their  wonder  why  she  should  refuse 
the  love  of  so  valiant  a  warrior  as  Sweyn." 

The  news  was  at  once  good  and  bad.  Edmund  did 
not  fear  Freda's  resolution  giving  way  for  a  long  time, 
but  the  news  that  Sweyn  intended  to  carry  her  upon  so 
distant  an  expedition  troubled  him.  It  was  of  course 
possible  that  he  might  intercept  them  with  the  Dragon  at 


D&R.  "1  AM  NEAR  YOU,  DEAR,"  SAID  EDMUND.— Page  236. 


FREDA.  337 

the  mouth  of  the  Maas,  but  it  was  uncertain  whether  the 
ship  would  arrive  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rhine  in  time  to 
be  brought  round  before  the  Northmen  descended.  The 
length  of  her  voyage  would  depend  entirely  on  the  wind. 
Were  this  favorable  when  she  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Seine,  a  week  would  carry  her  to  her  destination. 
Should  it  be  unfavorable,  there  was  no  saying  how  long 
the  voyage  would  last. 

The  risk  was  so  great  that  Edmund  determined  to 
make  an  efTort  to  rouse  the  country  against  the  Danes, 
and  to  fall  upon  them  in  their  encampment;  but  the 
task  would  he  knew  be  a  hard  one,  for  the  dread  of  the 
Danes  was  so  great  that  only  in  large  towns  was  any 
resistance  to  them  ever  offered.  However,  he  deter- 
mined to  try,  for  if  the  Northmen  succeeded  in  getting 
to  seia  the  pursuit  would  indeed  be  a  long  one,  and  many 
weeks  and  even  months  might  elapse  before  he  could 
again  come  up  to  them. 

On  the  following  day  the  rest  of  the  party  arrived, 
and  leaving  the  forest  Edmund  proceeded  with  them 
through  the  country,  visiting  every  village,  and  en- 
deavoring to  rouse  the  people  to  attack  the  Danes,  but 
the  news  that  the  dreaded  marauders  were  so  near 
excited  terror  only.  The  assurances  of  Edmund  that 
there  was  much  rich  plunder  in  their  camp,  which  would 
become  the  property  of  those  who  destroyed  them, 
excited  but  a  feeble  interest.  The  only  point  in  the  nar- 
rative which  excited  their  contentment  was  the  news 
that  the  Danes  were  building  ships  and  were  going  to 
make  their  way  down  to  the  sea, 

"  In  Heaven's  name  let  them  go! "  was  the  cry. 
"  Who  would  interfere  with  the  flight  ol  a  savage  beast? 


238  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

If  they  are  going  down  the  river  they  will  scarcely  laiid 
to  scatter  and  plunder  the  country,  and  he  would  be  mad 
indeed  who  would  seek  them  when  they  are  disposed  to 
let  us  alone." 

Finding  his  efforts  vain  in  the  country  near  the  forest 
Edmund  went  down  the  river  to  the  town  of  Liege 
which  stood  on  its  banks.  When  it  became  known  that 
a  band  of  Northmen  was  on  the  upper  river,  and  was 
likely  to  pass  down,  the  alarm  spread  quickly  through 
the  town,  and  a  council  of  the  principal  inhabitants  was 
summoned.  Before  these  Edmund  told  his  story,  and 
suggested  that  the  fighting  men  of  the  town  should 
march  up  the  river  and  fall  upon  the  Danes  in  their  camp. 
^'  It  is  but  two  days'  march — the  Northmen  will  be 
unsuspicious  of  danger,  and,  taken  by  surprise,  may  be 
easily  defeated."  The  proposition,  however,  was  re- 
ceived with  absolute  derision. 

"  You  must  be  mad  to  propose  such  a  thing,  young 
Saxon,  if  Saxon  indeed  you  are,  but  for  aught  we  know 
you  may  be  a  Northman  sent  by  them  to  draw  us  into  aa 
ambush.  No;  we  will  prepare  for  their  coming.  We 
will  man  our  walls  and  stand  on  the  defensive,  and  if 
there  be,  as  you  say,  but  three  hundred  of  them,  we  can 
defend  ourselves  successfully;  and  we  may  hope  that, 
seeing  our  strength,  and  that  we  are  prepared  for  their 
coming,  the  Northmen  will  pass  by  without  molesting 
us;  but  as  for  moving  outside  our  walls,  it  would  be 
worse  than  folly  even  to  think  of  such  a  thing." 

After  this  rebuff  Edmund  concluded  that  he  could 
hope  for  no  assistance  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  coun- 
try, but  must  depend  upon  himself  and  the  Dragon  alone. 
He  at  once  dispatched  two  of  his  men,  a  Dane  and  ai 


■'  FREDA.  ■    2^g 

Saxon,  with  orders  to  journey  as  rapidly  as  possible  to 
the  rendezvous  where  the  Dragon  was  to  be  found,  at' 
the  mouth  of  the  Rhine,  and  to  beg  Egbert  to  move 
round  with  all  speeed  to  the  Maas. 

Having  done  this,  he  purchased  a  small  and  very  fast; 
rowing  skiff  at  Liege,  and  taking  his  place  in  this  with 
his  four  remaining  followers,  he  rowed  up  the  river.  It 
took  them  three  days  before  they  reached  the  edge  of  the 
forest.  On  reaching  their  former  hiding  place,  they 
landed.  The  bushes  were  carefully  drawn  aside,  and 
the  boat  hauled  up  until  completely  screened  from  sight 
of  the  river,  and  Edmund  and  the  Dane  at  once  started 
for  the  encampment  of  the  Northmen. 

They  had  been  ten  days  absent,  and  in  that  time  great 
progress  had  been  made  with  the  galleys.  They  looked 
indeed  completely  finished  as  they  stood  high  and  lofty 
on  the  river  bank.  The  planks  were  all  in  their  places; 
the  long  rows  of  benches  for  the  rowers  were  fastened 
in;  the  poop  and  forecastle  were  finished  and  decked.  A 
number  of  long  straight  poles  lay  alongside,  ready  to  be 
fashioned  into  oars;  and  Edmund  thought  that  in  an- 
other two  or  three  days  the  galleys  would  be  ready  for 
launching.  They  were  long  and  low  in  the  waist,  and 
were  evidently  built  for  great  speed.  Edmund  did  not 
think  that  they  were  intended  to  sail,  except  perhaps 
occasionally  when  the  wind  was  favorable,  as  an  aid  to 
the  rowers.  Each  would  carry  a  hundred  and  fifty  men^^ 
and  there  were  thirty  seats,  so  that  sixty  would  row  at: 
once. 

"They  are  fine  galleys,"  the  Dane  whispered. 
**  Sweyn  has  a  good  eye  for  a  boat." 

"  Yes,"  Edmund  said,  "  they  look  as  if  they  will  be 


24©  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

very  fast.  With  oars  alone  they  would  leave  the  Dragon 
behind,  but  with  sails  and  oars  we  should  overhaul  them 
in  a  wind.  I  wish  it  had  been  otherwise,  for  if,  when 
they  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river,  there  is  no  wind,  they 
may  give  the  Dragon  the  slip.  Ah ! "  he  exclaimed, 
"  there  is  Freda." 

As  he  spoke  a  tall  maiden  came  out  from  the  small 
hut.  The  distance  was  too  great  for  Edmund  to  distin- 
guish her  features,  but  he  doubted  not  from  the  style  of 
her  garments  that  it  was  Siegbert's  daughter.  There 
were  other  women  moving  about  tht  camp,  for  the  Danes 
■were  generally  accompanied  by  their  wives  on  their 
expeditions ;  but  there  was  something  in  the  carriage  and 
mien  of  the  figure  at  the  door  of  the  hut  which  distin- 
guished it  from  the  rest.  She  did  not  move  far  away, 
but  stood  watching  the  men  at  work  on  the  ships  and  the 
scene  around.  Presently  a  tall  figure  strode  down  from 
the  vessels  toward  her. 

"  There  is  Sweyn ! "  Edmund  exclaimed,  seeing  that 
the  warrior  possessed  but  one  arm. 

"  Ah!  you  know  him  by  sight  then?  "  the  Dane  said. 

"  I  should  do  so,"  Edmund  answered  grimly,  "  seeing 
that  it  was  I  who  smote  oflF  that  right  arm  of  his.  I 
regret  now  that  I  did  not  strike  at  his  head  instead." 

The  Dane  looked  with  admiration  and  surprise  at  his 
leader.  He  had  heard  of  the  fight  between  the  Saxon 
champion  and  Sweyn,  which  had  cost  the  latter  his  right 
arm,  but  until  now  he  had  been  igfnorant  of  Edmund's 
identity  with  Sweyn's  conqueror. 

Freda  did  not  seek  to  avoid  her  captor,  but  remained 
standing  quietly  until  he  approached.  For  some  time 
they  conversed;  then  she  turned  and  left  him  and  re- 


FREDA,  241 

entered  her  hut.  Sweyn  stood  looking  after  her,  and 
then  with  an  angry  stamp  of  the  foot  returned  to  the 
galleys. 

"  I  would  give  much  to  be  able  to  warn  her  that  I  am 
present  and  will  follow  her  until  I  rescue  her  from 
Sweyn,"  Edmund  said.  "  Once  at  sea  and  on  her  way 
south  she  may  well  despair  of  escape,  and  may  consent, 
from  sheer  hopelessness,  to  become  his  wife.  Were  it 
not  that  her  hut  is  so  strongly  guarded  at  night  I  would 
try  to  approach  it,  but  as  this  cannot  be  done  I  must 
take  my  chance  in  the  day.  To-morrow  I  will  dress 
myself  in  your  garments  and  will  hide  in  the  wood  as 
near  as  I  can  to  the  hut;  then  if  she  come  out  to  take 
the  air  I  will  walk  boldly  out  and  speak  with  her.  I  see 
no  other  way  of  doing  it." 

On  the  following  morning,  attired  in  the  Dane's 
clothes  and  helmet,  Edmund  took  his  place  near  the 
edge  of  the  wood.  It  was  not  until  late  in  the  afternoon 
that  Freda  made  her  appearance.  The  moment  was 
propitious ;  almost  all  the  men  were  at  work  on  the  ships 
and  their  oars.  The  women  were  cooking  the  evening 
meal,  and  there  was  no  one  near  Freda,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  two  armed  Danes  who  sat  on  the  trunk  of  a 
fallen  tree  on  guard,  a  short  distance  away.  Edmund 
issued  boldly  from  the  wood,  and,  waiting  till  Freda's 
steps,  as  she  passed  backward  and  forward,  took  her  to 
the  farthest  point  from  the  guards,  he  approached  her. 

"  Freda,"  he  said,  "  do  not  start  or  betray  surprise, 
for  you  are  watched." 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  girl  had  paused  in  her 
steps,  and  exclaimed  in  a  low  voice,  "  Edmund! "  and 
*h«n,  obeying  his  words,  stood  motionless.  . 


242  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  I  am  near  you,  dear,  and  will  watch  over  you.  B 
have  not  strength  to  carry  you  away;  but  my  ship  will 
be  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  as  you  pass  out.  Hang  a 
white  cloth  from  the  window  of  your  cabin  in  the  poop 
as  a  signal.  If  we  fail  to  rescue  you  there  we  will  follow 
you  wheresoever  you  may  go,  even  to  Italy,  where  I 
hear  you  are  bound.  So  keep  up  a  brave  heart.  I  have 
seen  your  father,  and  he  has  sent  me  to  save  you.  See, 
the  guards  are  approaching,  I  must  go." 

Edmund  then  made  for  the  forest.  "  Stop  there!  '* 
the  guards  cried.  "  Who  are  you,  and  whence  do  you 
come?" 

Edmund  made  no  answer,  but,  quickening  his  steps, 
passed  among  the  trees,  and  was  soon  beyond  pursuit. 
This,  indeed,  the  Danes  did  not  attempt.  They  had 
been  surprised  at  seeing,  as  they  supposed,  one  of  their 
party  addressing  Freda,  for  Sweyn's  orders  that  none 
should  speak  with  her  were  precise.  He  had  given  this 
command  because  he  feared  that  by  the  promise  of  rich 
rewards  she  might  tempt  some  of  his  followers  to  aid  her 
escape.  They  had,  therefore,  risen  to  interrupt  the  con- 
versation, but  it  was  not  until  they  approached  that  it 
struck  them  that  the  Northman's  face  was  unfamiliar  to 
them,  and  that  he  was  not  one  of  their  party;  but  Ed- 
mund had  entered  the  wood  before  they  had  recovered 
from  their  surprise.  Their  shouts  to  him  to  stop  brought 
Sweyn  to  the  spot. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  asked. 

"  A  strange  Northman  has  come  out  ol  the  wood  and 
spoken  to  the  lady  Freda.*' 

Sweyn  turned  to  his  captive.  She  stood  pale  and 
trembling,  for  the  shock  of  the  surprise  had  been  a  severe 
one. 


FREDA.  243 

"  Who  is  this  whom  you  have  spoken  to?  "  he  asked., 

Freda  did  not  answer. 

"  I  insist  upon  knowing,"  Sweyn  exclaimed  angrily. 

Freda  recovered  herself  with  an  effort,  and,  raising 
her  head,  said,  "  Your  insistence  has  small  effect  with 
me,  as  you  know,  Jarl  Sweyn;  but  as  there  is  no  reason 
for  concealment  I  will  tell  you.  He  is  a  messenger 
whom  my  dear  father  has  sent  to  me  to  tell  me  that  some 
day  he  hopes  to  rescue  me  from  your  hands." 

Sweyn  laughed  loudly. 

"  He  might  have  saved  himself  the  trouble,"  he  said. 
"  Your  good  father  lies  wounded  near  Paris,  and  by  the 
time  he  is  able  to  set  out  to  your  rescue  we  shall  be  with 
Hastings  on  the  sunny  waters  of  Italy,  and  long  ere  that 
you  will,  I  hope,  have  abandoned  your  obstinate  dispo- 
sition, and  consented  to  be  my  wife." 

Freda  did  not  answer  at  once.  Now  that  there  was 
a  hope  of  rescue,  however  distant,  she  thought  it  might 
be  as  well  to  give  Sweyn  some  faint  hope  that  in  time 
she  might  yield  to  his  wishes.     Then  she  said: 

"  I  have  told  you  often,  jarl,  that  I  will  never  be  your 
wife,  and  I  do  not  think  that  I  shall  ever  change  my 
mind.  It  may  be  that  the  sunny  skies  you  speak  of  may 
work  a  wonderful  change  in  me,  but  that  remains  to  be 
seen."  Sweyn  retired  well  satisfied.  Her  words  were 
less  defiant  than  any  she  had  hitherto  addressed  to  him. 
As  to  the  message  of  her  father,  who  could  know  noth- 
ing of  his  intention  to  sail  to  the  Mediterranean,  he 
thought  no  further  of  it. 

Three  days  later  the  galleys  were  launched,  and  after 
a  day  spent  in  putting  everything  in  its  place  they  started 
on  their  way  down  the  river.     They  rowed  many  miles, 


244  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

and  at  night  moored  by  the  bank.  After  darkness  had 
fallen  a  small  boat  rowed  at  full  speed  past  them.  It 
paid  no  attention  to  the  summons  to  stop,  enforced 
though  it  was  by  several  arrows,  but  continued  its  way 
down  the  river,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  darkness. 
Sweyn  was  much  displeased.  As  they  rowed  down  they 
had  carefully  destroyed  every  boat  they  found  on  the 
river,  in  order  that  the  news  of  their  coming  might  not 
precede  them. 

"  The  boat  must  have  been  hauled  up  and  hidden,"  he 
said.  "  We  might  as  well  have  stopped  and  landed  at 
some  of  the  villages  and  replenished  our  larder.  Now 
we  shall  find  the  small  places  all  deserted,  and  the  cattle 
driven  away  far  from  the  river.  It  is  an  unfortunate 
mischance." 

As  the  Northmen  anticipated  they  found  the  villages 
they  passed  the  next  day  entirely  deserted  by  their  in- 
habitants, and  not  a  head  of  cattle  was  to  be  seen  grazing 
near  the  banks.  In  the  afternoon  they  came  to  Liege. 
The  gates  were  shut,  and  the  walls  bristled  with  spears. 
The  galleys  passed  without  a  stay.  Sweyn  had  other 
objects  in  view.  Any  booty  that  might  be  obtained  with- 
out severe  fighting  he  would  have  been  glad  enough  to 
gather  in;  but,  with  a  long  sea  voyage  before  him,  he 
cared  not  to  burden  his  galleys,  and  his  principal  desire 
was  to  obtain  a  sufficient  supply  of  provisions  for  the 
voyage.  For  several  days  the  galleys  proceeded  down 
the  river.  The  villages  were  all  deserted  and  the  towns 
prepared  for  defense. 

When  he  arrived  within  a  day's  journey  of  the  sea  he 
was  fctfced  to  halt.    Half  the  crews  were  left  in  charge 


FREDA.  845 

of  the  ships,  and  with  the  others  he  led  a  foray  far  inland, 
and,  after  some  sharp  fighting  with  the  natives,  succeeded 
in  driving  down  a  number  of  cattle  to  the  ships  and  in 
bringing  in  a  store  of  flour. 

Edmund  had  kept  ahead  of  the  galleys,  stopping  at 
every  town  and  village  and  warning  the  people  of  the 
approach  of  the  marauders.  He  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  river  two  days  before  them,  but  to  his  deep  disap- 
pointment saw  that  the  Dragon  had  not  arrived  at  the 
rendezvous.  On  the  following  afternoon,  however,  a 
distant  sail  was  seen,  and  as  it  approached  Edmund  and 
his  followers  gave  a  shout  of  joy  as  they  recognized  the 
Dragon,  which  was  using  her  oars  as  well  as  sails  and  was 
approaching  at  full  speed.  Edmund  leaped  into  the  boat 
and  rowed  to  meet  them,  and  a  shout  of  welcome  arose 
from  the  Dragon  as  the  crew  recognized  their  com- 
mander. 

"  Are  we  in  time?  "  Egbert  shouted. 

"  Just  in  time,"  Edmund  replied.  "  They  will  be  here 
to-morrow."  Edmund  was  soon  on  board,  and  was 
astonished  at  seeing  Siegbert  standing  by  the  side  of  his 
kinsman. 

"  What  is  the  news  oi  Freda?  "  the  jarl  asked  eagerly. 

"  She  is  well  and  keeps  up  a  brave  heart,"  Edmund 
replied.  "  She  has  sworn  to  kill  herself  if  Sweyn  at- 
tempts to  make  her  his  wife  by  violence.  I  have  spoken 
to  her  and  told  her  that  rescue  will  come.  But  how  is 
it  that  you  are  here?  " 

"  After  you  had  left  us  your  good  kinsman  Egbert 
suggested  to  me  that  I  should  take  passage  in  the 
Dragon.    In  the  first  place  I  should  the  sooner  see  my 


246  THE   DRAGON    AND   THE   RAVEN. 

daughter;  and  in  the  next,  it  would  be  perilous  work, 
after  the  Danish  army  had  left,  for  a  small  party  of  us  to 
traverse  France." 

"I  would  I  had  thought  of  it,"  Edmund  said;  "but 
my  mind  was  so  disturbed  with  the  thought  of  Freda's 
peril  that  it  had  no  room  for  other  matters.  And  how 
fares  it  with  you?  " 

"  Bravely,"  the  Northman  replied.  "  As  soon  as  I 
sniffed  the  salt  air  of  the  sea  my  strength  seemed  to  re- 
turn to  me.  My  wound  is  well-nigh  healed;  but  the 
joint  has  stiffened,  and  my  leg  will  be  stiff  for  the  rest  of 
my  life.  But  that  matters  little.  And  now  tell  me  all 
your  adventures.  We  have  heard  from  the  messenger 
lyou  sent  how  shrewdly  you  hunted  out  Sweyn's  hiding 
li&iaee." 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

A    IX>NG  CHASE. 

The  following  moming-  the  weather  was  still  and  duU. 
Not  a  breath  of  wind  ruffled  the  surface  of  the  river. 

"  This  is  unfortunate,"  Edmund  said  to  his  companion. 
"  Sweyn's  galleys  will  row  faster  than  we  can  go  with  oars 
alone,  and  though  they  may  not  know  the  Dragon  they 
will  be  sure  that  she  is  not  one  of  their  own  ships.  We 
must  hope  that  they  may  attack  us." 

The  day  passed  on  without  a  si^ht  of  the  galleys,  but 
late  in  the  afternoon  they  were  seen  in  the  distance.  The 
Dragon  was  moored  near  the  middle  of  the  river.  Her 
oars  were  stowed  away,  and  the  crew  ordered  to  keep 
below  the  bulwarks,  in  hopes  that  the  Danes,  seeing  but 
few  men  about  and  taking  her  for  an  easy  prize,  might 
attack  her.  When  they  approached  within  half  a  mile 
the  Danish  galleys  suddenly  ceased  rowing. 

"What  is  that  strange-looking  vessel?"  Sweyn  asked 
the  Northmen  standing  round  him. 

"I  know  her,"  one  of  them  said;  "for  I  have  twice 
seen  her  before,  to  my  cost.  The  first  time  she  chased  us 
hotly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  destroying  several  of 
the  vessels  with  which  we  were  sailing  in  convoy.  The 
next  time  was  in  the  battle  where  King  Alfred  defeated 
us  last  year,  nearly  in  the  same  water.  She  is  a  Saxoa 
ship,  wondrous  fast  and  well-handled.  She  did  more 
damage  in  the  battle  than  any  four  of  her  consorts." 


£48  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  Were  it  not  that  I  have  other  game  in  view,"  Sweyn 
said,  "  we  would  fight  her,  for  we  are  two  to  one  and 
strongly  manned,  and  the  Saxon  can  scarce  carry  more 
men  than  one  of  our  galleys;  but  she  is  not  likely  to  be 
worth  the  lives  she  would  cost  us  to  capture  her;  there- 
fore we  will  e'en  let  her  alone,  which  will  be  easy  enough, 
for  see  that  bank  of  sea  fog  rolling  up  the  river;  another 
ten  minutes  and  we  shall  not  see  across  the  deck.  Give 
€)rders  to  the  other  galley  to  lay  in  oars  till  the  fog  comes, 
then  to  make  for  the  left  bank  of  the  river  and  to  drift 
with  the  tide  close  inshore.  Let  nobe  speak  a  word,  and 
silence  be  kept  until  they  hear  my  horn.  I  will  follow, 
the  right  bank  till  we  reach  the  mouth." 

Freda  was  standing  near  and  heard  these  orders  with 
a  sinking  heart.  She  had  no  doubt  that  Edmund  was  on 
board  the  Saxon  ship,  and  she  had  looked  forward  with 
confidence  to  be  delivered  from  her  captor;  but  now  it 
seemed  that,  owing  to  the  evil  change  of  the  weather,  the 
hope  was  to  be  frustrated. 

Edmund  and  the  Saxons  had  viewed  with  consterna- 
tion the  approach  of  the  sea  fog.  The  instant  it  envel- 
oped the  ship  the  oars  were  got  out  and  they  rowed  in 
the  direction  of  the  Danish  vessels,  which  they  hoped 
would  drop  anchor  when  the  fog  reached  them.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken  on  board  the  Dragon.  Edmund, 
Egbert,  and  Siegbert  stood  on  the  forecastle  intently 
listening  for  any  sound  which  would  betray  the  position 
of  the  Danes,  but  not  a  sound  was  to  be  heard.  They 
had,  they  calculated,  already  reached  the  spot  where  the 
Dane  should  have  been  anchored  when  from  the  left,  but 
far  away  astern,  a  loud  call  in  a  woman's  voice  was  heard. 

"  That  must  be  Freda!  "  Edmund  exclaimed.  "  Turn 
the  ship;  they  have  passed  us  in  the  fog." 


A   LONG   CHAS&  249 

The  Dragon's  head  was  turned  and  she  was  rowed 
rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  voice.  No  further  sound 
was  heard.  Presently  there  was  a  sudden  shock  which 
threw  everyone  on  to  the  deck.  The  Dragon  had  run 
high  on  the  low  muddy  bank  of  the  river.  The  tide  was 
falling;  and  although  for  a  few  minutes  the  crew  tried 
desperately  to  push  her  off  they  soon  found  that  their 
efforts  were  in  vain,  and  it  was  not  until  the  tide  again 
rose  high,  nine  hours  later,  that  the  Dragon  floated. 
Until  morning  broke  nothing  could  be  done,  and  even 
when  it  did  so  matters  were  not  mended,  for  the  fog  was 
still  dense. 

The  disappointment  of  Edmund  and  Siegbert  at  the 
escape  of  the  Danes  was  extreme.  Their  plans  had  been 
so  well  laid  that,  when  it  was  found  that  the  Dragon  had 
arrived  in  time,  no  doubts  were  entertained  of  the  success 
of  the  enterprise,  and  to  be  foiled  just  when  Freda  seemed 
within  reach  was  a  terrible  disappointment. 

"  My  only  consolation  is,"  Edmund  said  as  he  paced 
the  deck  impatiently,  side  by  side  with  Egbert,  "  that  this 
fog  which  delays  us  will  also  hinder  the  Danes." 

"  That  may  be  so  or  it  may  not,"  Egbert  answered. 
"  It  is  evident  that  some  on  board  the  Danish  ships  must 
have  recognized  us,  and  that  they  were  anxious  to  escape 
rather  than  fight.  They  draw  so  little  water  that  theyi 
would  not  be  afraid  of  the  sand  banks  off  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  seeing  that  even  if  they  strike  them  they  can 
jump  out,  lighten  the  boats,  and  push  them  off;  and  once 
well  out  at  sea  it  is  probable  that  they  may  get  clearer 
weather,  for  Siegbert  tells  me  that  the  fog  often  lies  thick' 
at  the  mouths  of  these  rivers  when  it  is  clear  enough  in 
the  open  sea." 


S50  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

When  the  tide  again  began  to  run  out  Edmund  drter- 
mined  at  all  risks  to  proceed  to  sea.  The  moorings  were 
cast  off  £rom  the  shore  and  the  Dragon  suffered  to  drift 
down.  _  Men  with  poles  took  their  stations  in  her  bows 
and  sounded  continually,  while  at  her  stern  two  anchors 
were  prepared  in  readiness  to  drop  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Several  times  the  water  shoaled  so  much  that  Edmund 
was  on  the  point  of  giving  orders  to  drop  the  anchors» 
but  each  time  it  deepened  again. 

So  they  continued  drifting  until  they  calculated  that 
the  tide  must  be  nearly  on  the  turn,  and  they  then 
dropped  anchor.  It  was  much  lighter  now  than  it  had 
been  in  the  river,  but  was  still  so  misty  that  they  could 
not  see  more  than  a  hundred  yards  or  so  round  the  vessel, 
No  change  took  place  until  night,  and  then  Edmund, 
who  had  been  too  excited  and  anxious  to  sleep  <m  the 
previous  night,  lay  down  to  rest,  ordering  that  he  should 
be  woke  if  any  change  took  place  in  the  weather.  As  the 
sun  rose  next  morning  the  fog  gradually  lifted,  and  they 
were  «^le  to  see  where  they  were.  Their  head  pointed 
west;  far  away  on  their  left  could  be  seen  a  low  line  of 
coast.  Not  a  sail  was  in  sight,  and  indeed  sails  would 
have  been  useless,  for  the  water  was  still  unruffled  by  a 
breath  of  wind.  The  anchors  were  at  once  got  up  and 
the  oars  manned,  and  the  ship's  head  turned  toward 
shore. 

Two  hours'  rowing  took  them  within  a  short  distance 
of  land,  and  keeping  about  a  mile  CHit  they  rowed  to  the 
west  The  men,  knowing  how  anxious  was  their  leader 
to  overtake  the  Danish  galleys,  rowed  their  hardest,  re- 
lieving each  other  by  turns,  so  that  half  the  oars  were 
constantly   going.      Without    intermission   they    rowed 


A   LONG   CHASE.  95! 

until  night  set  in  and  then  cast  anchor.  When  the  wind 
came — it  was  not  until  the  third  day — ^it  was  ahead,  and 
instead  of  helping  the  Dragon  it  greatly  impeded  her 
progress. 

So  far  they  had  seen  nothing  of  the  galleys,  and  had 
the  mortification  of  knowing  that  in  spite  of  all  their 
efforts  these  were  probably  gaining  ground  upon  them 
every  day.  Even  without  wind  the  galleys  would  row 
faster  than  the  Dragon,  and  being  so  fully  manned  would 
be  able  to  keep  all  their  oars  going;  but  against  the  wind 
their  advantage  would  be  increased  greatly,  for  lying 
low  in  the  water  they  would  offer  but  little  resistance  to 
it,  and  would  be  able  to  make  way  at  a  brisk  pace, 
wliile  the  Dragon  could  scarce  move  against  it. 

The  Saxon  ship  was  off  Calais  when  the  breeze  sprang 
up,  and  as  it  increased  and  their  progress  became  slower 
and  slower  Edmund  held  a  consultation  with  his  com- 
panions, and  it  was  determined  to  run  across  the  Channel 
and  He  in  the  mouth  of  the  Thames  till  the  wind  turned. 
So  long  as  it  continued  to  blow  they  would  lag  farther 
and  farther  behind  the  chase,  which  might,  moreover, 
enter  any  of  the  rivers  in  search  of  shelter  or  provisions, 
and  so  escape  her  pursuers  altogether.  Siegbert  had 
never  been  up  the  Mediterranean,  but  he  had  talked  with 
many  Danes  who  had  been.  These  had  told  him  that  the 
best  course  was  to  sail  west  to  the  extremity  of  England, 
then  to  steer  due  south  until  they  came  upon  the  north 
coast  of  Spain.  They  would  follow  this  to  its  western  ex- 
tremity ;  and  then  run  south,  following  the  land  till  they 
came  to  a  channel  some  ten  miles  wide,  which  formed  the 
entrance  to  the  Mediterranean. 

They  decided,  therefore,  to  follow  this  course  in  h<^>es 


95s  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

of  interrupting  the  galleys  there;  they  would  thus  avoid 
the  dangerous  navigation  of  the  west  coast  of  France, 
where  there  were  known  to  be  many  islands  and  rocks, 
around  which  the  tides  ran  with  great  fury.  For  a  fort- 
night the  Dragon  lay  windbound;  then  came  two  days 
of  calm;  and  then,  to  their  delight,  the  pennon  on  the 
top  of  the  mast  blew  out  from  the  east. 

They  were  lying  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colne,  and  would 
therefore  have  no  difficulty  in  making  the  Foreland; 
and  with  her  sail  set  and  her  oars  out  the  Dragon  dashed 
away  from  her  moorings.  Swiftly  they  ran  round  the 
southeasterly  point  of  England,  and  then  flew  before  the 
breeze  along  the  southern  coast.  On  the  third  day  they 
were  off  Land's  End  and  hauled  her  head  to  the  south. 
The  east  wind  held,  the  Bay  of  Biscay  was  calm,  and 
after  a  rapid  voyage  they  sighted  the  high  lands  of  Spain 
ahead.  Then  they  sheered  to  the  west  till  they  rounded 
its  extremity  and  then  sailed  down  the  coast  of  Spain. 
They  put  into  a  river  for  provisions,  and  the  natives 
assembled  in  great  numbers  on  the  banks  with  the  evi- 
dent intention  of  opposing  a  landing;  but  upon  Egbert 
shouting  that  they  were  not  Danes  but  Saxons,  and  were 
ready  to  barter  for  the  provisions  they  required,  the 
natives  allowed  them  to  approach.  There  was  no  wran- 
gling for  terms.  Cattle  were  purchased,  and  the  water 
tanks  filled  up,  and  a  few  hours  after  entering  the  river 
the  Dragon  was  again  under  way.  Rounding  the 
southern  point  they  followed  the  land.  After  a  day's 
sailing  they  perceived  land  on  their  right,  and  gave  a 
shout  of  joy  at  the  thought  that  they  had  arrived  at  the 
entrance  of  the  straits.  At  nightfall  they  dropped 
anchor. 


A   LONG   CHA8B.  253 

"  What  are  you  looking  at,  Siegbert?  "  Edmund  asked, 
seeing  the  jarl  looking  thoughtfully  at  the  anchor  chain 
as  the  ship  swung  round. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  the  jarl  said,  "  that  we  must  have 
made  some  error.  Do  you  not  see  that  she  rides,  just  as 
w«  were  sailing,  with  her  head  to  the  northeast?  That 
shows  that  the  current  is  against  us." 

"Assuredly  it  does,"  Edmund  said;  "but  the  current 
is  a  very  slack  one,  for  the  ropes  are  not  tight." 

"  But  that  agrees  not,"  Siegbert  said,  "  with  what  I 
have  been  told.  In  the  first  place,  this  channel  points  to 
the  northeast,  whereas,  as  I  have  heard,  the  straits  into 
the  Mediterranean  run  due  east.  In  the  next  place, 
those  who  have  been  through  have  told  me  that  there  are 
no  tides  as  in  the  northern  seas,  but  that  the  current  runs 
ever  like  a  river  to  the  east." 

"  If  that  be  so,"  Edmund  said,  "  we  must  have  mis- 
taken our  way,  for  here  what  current  there  is  runs  to 
the  west.  To-morrow  morning,  instead  of  proceeding 
further,  we  will  cross  to  the  opposite  side,  and  will  follow 
that  down  until  we  strike  upon  the  right  channel." 

In  the  morning  sail  was  again  made,  and  crossing  what 
was  really  the  Bay  of  Cadiz  they  sailed  on  till  they  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  straits.  There  was  no  doubt  now 
that  they  were  right.  The  width  of  the  channel,  its  direc- 
tion, and  the  steady  current  through  it,  all  corresponded 
with  what  Siegbert  had  heard,  and  proceeding  a  mile 
along  it  they  cast  anchor. 

They  soon  opened  communications  with  the  natives, 
who,  although  speaking  a  tongue  unknown  to  them, 
soon  comprehended  by  their  gestures  and  the  holding  up 
of  articles  of  barter  that  their  intentions  were  friendly. 


154  THE   DRA<^N    AND    THE    RAVEN. 

Trade  was  established,  and  there  was  now  nothing  to  do 
but  to  await  the  coming  of  the  galleys. 

"  I  would,"  Edmund  said,  as,  when  evening  was  clos" 
ing,  he  looked  across  the  straits  at  the  low  hills  on  the 
opposite  side,  "  that  this  passage  was  narrower.  Sweyn 
will,  doubtless,  have  men  on  board  his  ship  who  have 
sailed  in  these  seas  before,  and  will  not  need  to  grope  his 
way  along  as  we  have  done.  If  he  enters  the  straits  at 
night  we  shall  see  nothing  of  him,  and  the  current  runs 
so  fast  that  he  would  sweep  speedily  by.  It  is  possible, 
indeed,  that  he  has  already  passed.'  If  he  continued  to 
row  down  the  shores  of  France  all  the  time  we  were 
lying  windbound  he  would  have  had  so  long  a  start 
when  the  east  wind  began  to  blow,  that,  although  the 
galleys  carry  but  little  sail,  they  might  well  have  been 
here  some  days  before  us.  Sweyn  would  be  anxious  to 
join  Hastings  as  soon  as  he  could.  The  men  would  be 
thirsting  for  booty,  and  would  make  but  short  halt  any- 
where. I  will  stay  but  a  week.  If  in  that  time  they 
come  not,  we  will  enter  this  southern  sea  and  seek  the 
fleet  of  Hastings.  When  we  find  that  we  shall  find 
Sweyn ;  but  I  fear  that  the  search  will  be  a  long  one,  for 
these  people  speak  not  our  tongue,  and  we  shall  have 
hard  work  in  gaining  tidings  of  the  whereabouts  of  the 
Northmen's  fleet." 

Day  and  night  a  vigilant  watch  was  kept  up  from  the 
masthead  of  the  Dragon,  but  without  success.  Each  day 
they  became  more  and  more  convinced  that  Sweyn  must 
be  ahead  of  them,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh 
they  lifted  their  anchor  and  proceeded  through  the 
straits.     Many   had   been    the   constiltations   between 


A   LONG   CHASS.  T^g 

Edmtmd  and  his  friends,  and  it  had  been  determined  at 
last  to  sail  direct  for  Rome.  Siegbert  knew  that  by  sail- 
ing somewhat  to  the  north  of  east,  after  issuing  from  the 
passage,  they  wonld  in  time  arrive  at  Italy. 

At  Rome  there  was  a  monastery  of  Saxon  monks,  and 
through  them  they  would  be  able  to  obtain  full  informa- 
tion as  to  the  doings  and  whereabouts  of  the  squadron 
of  Hastings.  Scarcely  were  they  through  the  straits 
than  the  wind,  veering  to  the  southeast,  prevented  them 
from  making  the  course  they  had  fixed  upon,  but  they 
were  able  to  coast  along  by  the  shore  of  Spain.  They 
put  into  several  small  ports  as  they  cruised  up,  but  could 
obtain  no  intelligence  of  the  Danes,  being  unable  to  con- 
verse except  by  signs. 

When  they  reached  Marseilles  they  were  pleased  to 
meet  with  Franks,  with  whom  they  could  converse,  and 
hired  a  pilot  acquainted  with  the  coasts  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. They  learned  that  Hastings  and  his  fleet  had 
harried  the  coasts  of  Provence  and  Italy;  that  the 
Genoese  galleys  had  had  several  engagements  with  them, 
but  had  been  worsted. 

The  Danish  fleet  was  now  oflF  the  coast  of  Sicily,  and 
the  Northmen  were  ravaging  that  rich  and  fertile  island. 
They  were  reported  to  have  even  threatened  to  ascend 
the  Tiber  and  to  burn  Rome.  Having  obtained  the 
services  of  a  man  who  spoke  both  the  Italian  and  Prank- 
ish tongas,  Edmund  started  again.  He  first  went  to 
Genoa,  as  he  thought  that  the  people  there  might  be 
dispatching  another  fleet  against  the  Northmen,  in  which 
case  he  woald  have  joined  himself  to  them.  On  his 
arriva)  there  he  was  well  entertained  by  the  Grenoese 


256  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

when  the  latter  learned  through  the  interpreter  who  they 
were,  and  that  they  had  come  from  England  as  enemies 
of  the  Danes. 

Edmund  and  his  Saxons  were  much  surprised  at  the 
splendor  of  Genoa,  which  immensely  surpassed  anything 
they  had  hitherto  seen  in  the  magnificence  of  its  build- 
ings, the  dress  and  appearance  of  its  inhabitants,  the 
variety  of  the  goods  displayed  by  the  traders,  and  the 
wealth  and  luxury  which  distinguished  it.  It  was 
indeed  their  first  sight  of  civilization,  and  Edmund  felt 
how  vastly  behind  was  northern  'Europe,  and  under- 
stood for  the  first  time  Alfred's  extreme  eagerness  to 
raise  the  condition  of  his  people.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Genoese  were  surprised  at  the  dress  and  appearance  of 
the  Saxons. 

The  crew  of  the  Dragon  were  picked  men,  and  their 
strength  and  stature,  the  width  of  their  shoulders,  and 
the  muscles  of  their  arms,  and,  above  all,  their  fair  hair 
and  blue  eyes,  greatly  astonished  the  Genoese.  •  Edmund 
and  his  companions  might  have  remained  in  Genoa  and 
received  entertainment  and  hospitality  from  its  people 
for  a  long  time;  but  after  a  stay  of  a  day  or  two,  and 
having  obtained  the  various  stores  necessary  for  their 
voyage,  Edmund  determined  to  proceed.  Three  of  the 
young  Genoese  nobles,  fired  by  the  story  which  they 
heard  of  the  adventures  which  the  Dragon  had  gone 
through,  and  desirous  of  taking  part  in  any  action  which 
she  might  fight  against  the  Danes,  begged  leave  to 
accompany  them. 

Edmund  gladly  acceded  to  the  request,  as  their  pres- 
ence would  be  of  great  utility  in  other  ports  at  which  the 
Dragon  might  touch.     At  Genoa   Edmund  procured 


A   LONG   CHASE.  357 

garments  for  his  men  similar  to  those  worn  by  the 
Italian  soldiers  and  sailors,  and  here  he  sold  to  the  gold 
and  silver  smiths  a  large  number  of  the  articles  of  value 
which  they  had  captured  from  the  Danes,  or  with  which 
the  Count  Eudes  and  the  people  of  Paris  had  presented 
them. 

The  Dragon  differed  but  little  in  appearance  from  the 
galleys  of  the  Genoese,  and  Edmund  determined  when 
he  approached  the  shores  where  the  Northmen  were 
plundering  to  pass  as  a  Genoese  ship,  for  should  the  news 
come  to  Sweyn's  ears  that  a  Saxon  galley  was  in  the 
Mediterranean  it  might  put  him  on  his  guard,  as  he 
would  believe  that  she  was  specially  in  pursuit  of  his  own 
vessel. 

On  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber  the  Dragon 
ascended  the  river  and  anchored  under  the  walls  of  the 
imperial  city.  The  Genoese  nobles  had  many  friends 
and  relations  there,  and  Edmund,  Egbert,  and  Siegbert 
were  at  once  installed  as  guests  in  a  stately  palace. 

The  Pope,  upon  hearing  that  the  strange  galley  which 
had  anchored  in  the  river  was  a  Saxon,  sent  an  invitation 
to  its  commander  to  visit  him,  and  Edmund  and  his 
kinsman  were  taken  by  their  Italian  friends  to  his  pres- 
ence. The  Pope  received  them  most  graciously,  and 
after  inquiring  after  King  Alfred  and  the  state  of  things 
in  England,  asked  how  it  was  that  a  Saxon  ship  had 
made  so  long  a  voyage. 

Edmund  explained  that  he  was  in  search  of  a  Danish 
damsel  who  had  once  shown  him  great  kindness,  and 
who  had  been  carried  off  from  her  father  by  one  of  the 
vikings  of  Hastings'  fleet.  When  he  said  that  they  had 
taken  part  in  the  defense  of  Paris  the  Holy  Father  told 


358  THE  DRAGON  AMD  THB  RAVEN. 

him  that  he  now  recognized  his  name,  for  that  a  full 
account  of  the  siege  had  been  sent  to  him  by  one  of  the 
monks  there,  and  that  he  had  spoken  much  of  the  valor 
of  a  Saxon  captain  and  the  crew  of  his  galley,  to  whom 
indeed  their  successful  resistance  to  the  Northmen  was 
in  no  slight  degree  due. 

"  Would  I  could  aid  you,  my  son,  in  your  enterprise 
against  these  northern  pirates.  The  depredations  which 
they  are  committing  on  the  shores  of  Italy  are  terrible 
indeed,  and  we  are  powerless  to  resist  them;  they  have 
even  threatened  to  ascend  the  Tiber  and  attack  Rome, 
and  though  I  trust  that  we  might  resist  their  attacks,  yet 
rather  than  such  misfortune  as  a  siege  should  fall  upon 
my  people  I  have  paid  a  large  sum  of  money  to  the  leader 
of  the  Northmen  to  abstain  from  coming  hither;  but  I 
know  that  the  greed  of  these  pirates  does  but  increase 
with  their  gains,  and  that  ere  long  we  may  see  their 
pagan  banner  floated  before  our  walls.  A  few  galleys  I 
could  man  and  place  under  your  orders,  but  in  truth  the 
people  of  this  town  are  not  skilled  in  naval  fighting.  I 
have  already  endeavored  to  unite  the  States  of  Genoa, 
Pisa,  and  Venice  against  them,  for  it  is  only  by  common 
effort  that  we  can  hope  to  overwhelm  these  wolves  of 
the  sea." 

Edmund  expressed  his  thanks  to  the  Pope  for  his 
offer,  but  said  that  he  would  rather  proceed  with  the 
Dragon  alone. 

"  She  is  to  the  full  as  swift  as  the  Northmen's  vessels," 
he  said;  "and  although  I  would  right  gladly  join  any 
great  fleet  which  might  be  assembled  for  an  attack  upon 
them,  I  would  rather  proceed  alone  than  with  a  few  other 
ships.     Not  being  strong  enough  to  attack  their  whole 


A   LONG   CHASE.  259 

armament  I  must  depend  upon  stratagem  to  capture  the 
galley  of  which  I  am  specially  in  pursuit,  and  will  with 
your  permission  set  out  as  soon  as  I  have  transformed 
my  ship  so  that  she  will  pass  muster  as  a  galley  of  Genoa 
or  Venice." 

The  Holy  Father  gave  orders  that  every  assistance 
should  be  afforded  to  Edmund  to  carry  out  his  designs, 
and  the  next  morning  a  large  number  of  artisans  and 
workmen  took  possession  oi  the  Dragon.  She  was 
painted  from  stem  to  stem  with  bright  colors.  Carved 
woodwork  was  added  to  her  forecastle  and  poop,  and  a 
great  deal  of  gilding  overlaid  upon  her.  The  shape  of 
her  bow  was  altered,  and  so  transformed  was  she  that 
none  would  have  known  her  for  the  vessel  which  had 
entered  the  Tiber,  and  she  would  have  passed  without 
observation  as  a  galley  of  Genoa. 

A  number  of  prisoners  accustomed  to  row  in  the  state 
galleys  were  placed  on  board  to  work  the  oars,  thus  leav- 
ing the  whole  of  the  crew  available  for  fighting  purposes, 
and  a  state  officer  was  put  in  command  of  these  galley 
slaves.  The  ship  was  well  stored  with  provisions,  and 
after  a  farewell  interview  with  the  Pope,  Edmund  and 
his  companions  returned  on  board  ship,  and  the  Dragon 
took  her  way  down  the  river. 

The  fleet  of  the  Northmen  was  at  Palermo,  and  keep- 
ing under  the  land,  the  Saxon  ship  sailed  down  the  coast 
of  Calabria,  and  at  night  crossed  near  the  mouth  of  the 
straits  to  the  shore  of  Sicily.  They  entered  a  quiet  bay, 
and  Edmund,  dressed  as  a  Dane,  with  the  two  Northmen 
who  had  accompanied  him  from  Paris,  landed  and  jour- 
neyed on  foot  to  Palermo. 

Everywhere  they  came  upon  scenes  similar  to  those 


26o  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

with  which  they  were  familiar  in  France.  Villages 
burned  and  destroyed,  houses  deserted,  orchards  and 
crops  wasted,  and  a  country  destitute  of  inhabitants,  all 
having  fled  to  the  mountains  to  escape  the  invader. 
They  did  not  meet  with  a  single  person  upon  their  jour- 
ney. When  they  approached  Palermo  they  waited  until 
nightfall,  and  then  boldly  entered  the  town.  Here  the 
most  intense  state  of  misery  prevailed.  Many  of  the  in- 
habitants had  fled  before  the  arrival  of  the  Danes,  but 
those  who  remained  were  kept  in  a  state  of  cruel  subjec- 
tion by  their  conquerors,  who  brutaHy  oppressed  and  ill- 
used  them,  making  free  with  all  their  possessions  and 
treating  them  as  slaves. 

The  Danes  entered  into  conversation  with  some  of 
their  countrymen,  and  professing  to  have  that  evening 
but  newly  arrived  from  home,  learned  much  of  the  dis- 
position of  the  fleet  of  the  Northmen.  They  pretended 
that  they  were  desirous  of  joining  the  galleys  under  the 
command  of  Sweyn,  and  were  told  that  these  had  arrived 
three  weeks  before,  and  were  now  absent  with  some 
others  on  the  southern  side  of  the  island. 

Having  obtained  this  information,  Edmund  and  his 
companions  started  without  delay  to  rejoin  the  Dragon. 
Upon  reaching  her  she  at  once  put  to  sea.  Palermo  was 
passed  in  the  night,  and  the  vessel  held  her  way  down 
the  western  coast  of  Sicily.  She  was  now  under  sail 
alone,  and  each  night  lay  up  at  anchor  in  order  that  she 
might  not  pass  the  Danish  galleys  unobserved.  On  the 
third  day  after  passing  Palermo,  several  galleys  were 
seen  riding  off  a  small  port.  The  wind  was  very  light, 
and  after  a  consultation  with  his  friends  Edmund  deter- 
mined to  simulate  flight  so  as  to  tempt  the  Danes  to  pur- 


A   LONG   CHASE.  a6x 

sue,  for  with  so  light  a  breeze  their  smaller  galleys  would 
row  faster  than  the  Dragon ;  besides,  it  was  possible  that 
Sweyn  might  be  on  shore. 

It  was  early  morning  when  the  Danish  galleys  were 
seen,  and  apparently  the  crews  were  still  asleep,  for  no 
movement  on  board  was  visible,  and  the  Dragon  sailed 
back  round  a  projecting  point  of  land  and  then  cast 
anchor.  It  was  so  important  to  learn  whether  Sweyn 
was  with  Freda  on  board  his  ship,  or  whether,  as  was 
likely,  he  had  established  himself  on  shore,  that  it  was 
decided  it  would  be  better  to  send  the  two  Danes  to 
reconnoiter  before  determining  what  plan  should  be 
adapted. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FREDA    DISCOVERED. 

The  spies  upon  their  return  reported  that  Sweyn  had 
taken  up  his  abode  in  the  mansion  of  the  Count  of  Ugoli, 
who  was  the  lord  of  that  part  of  the  country.  Most  of 
the  Danes  lived  on  shore  in  the  houses  of  the  towns- 
people. Many  of  these  had  been  slain,  and  the  rest  were 
treated  as  slaves.  The  lady  Freda  was  also  on  shore, 
and  it  was  thought  that  she  would  ere  long  become  the 
bride  of  the  viking. 

"  Think  you  that  there  will  be  any  possibility  of  sur- 
prising the  house  and  carrying  her  off?  " 

"  I  think  not,"  the  Dane  said,  "  for  Sweyn's  men  are 
on  the  alert  and  keep  good  guard,  for  the  people  of  this 
part  of  the  island,  being  maddened  by  their  exactions 
and  cruelty,  have  banded  themselves  together;  and, 
although  they  cannot  withstand  the  strong  parties  which 
go  out  in  search  of  plunder,  they  cut  off  stragglers,  and 
have  made  several  attacks  on  small  parties.  It  is  thought 
that  they  may  even  venture  an  attack  upon  the  place  at 
night;  therefore  sentries  are  set,  and  a  portion  of  the 
force  remains  always  under  arms  in  readiness  to  sally 
out  in  case  of  alarm." 

"  I  would  fain  go  myself,"  Edmund  said,  "  and  see  how 
matters  stand,  and  try  to  communicate  with  Freda.  It 
may  be  that  her  long  resistance  has  tired  her  out,  and 


FREDA    DISCOVERED.  365 

that  she  is  at  the  point  of  consenting  to  become  Sweyn's 
bride." 

"  I  think  not  that,"  Siegbert  repHed.  "  When  Freda 
has  once  made  up  her  mind  she  is  not  given  to  change." 

"  I  doubt  not  her  resolution,"  Edmund  said;  "  but  none 
can  blame  her  if,  after  all  these  months,  she  has  begim 
to  despair  of  rescue;  nay,  it  is  even  probable  that,  having 
Sweyn,  who  is  assuredly  a  brave  and  enterprising  viking, 
always  near  her,  she  may  have  come  to  love  him." 

"  No,  Edmund,"  Siegbert  replied.  "  I  am  sure  you 
need  have  no  fear  that  she  has  softened  toward  Sweyn. 
But  how  do  you  think  of  proceeding  if  you  land?  " 

"  I  will  take  with  me  this  Dane,  and  if  one  of  the 
Genoese  nobles  will  go  with  me  I  will  take  him,  and  also 
the  man  we  brought  from  Marseilles,  who  acts  as  an 
interpreter  between  us  and  the  Italians." 

"  But  why  hamper  yourself  with  two  men,  who  would 
be  even  more  likely  to  be  detected  by  the  Danes  than 
would  you  yourself?  " 

"  I  shall  leave  them  in  the  outskirts  of  the  place," 
Edmund  replied.  "  I  would  fain  see  if  I  can  enter  into 
any  negotiations  with  the  natives.  Perhaps  we  may 
arrange  that  they  shall  attack  the  place  on  the  land  side, 
while  the  Dragon  falls  upon  the  galleys,  and  in  any  case 
we  may  need  an  interpreter  with  the  people." 

One  of  the  young  Genoese,  upon  being  asked  whether 
he  would  take  part  in  the  adventure,  at  once  consented, 
and  the  four  men,  attiring  themselves  as  Danes,  speedily 
landed  in  the  Dragon's  boat.  The  bay  in  which  the 
ship  was  lying  was  some  ten  miles  along  the  shore  from 
the  town.  The  spies  had  made  their  way  along  the  sea- 
coast  by  night,  but  as  it  was  morning  when  Edmund 


a64  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

landed  he  thought  that  it  would  be  safer  to  make  a 
detour,  so  as  to  arrive  near  the  landward  side  of  the  town 
and  so  enter  it  after  dark. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  when  they  came  upon  the 
ruins  of  a  village.  It  had  been  destroyed  by  fire,  and 
the  freshness  of  the  charred  beams  showed  that  it  had 
been  done  but  a  short  time  before,  probably  not  many 
days.  Marks  of  blood  could  be  seen  in  the  roadway,  but 
no  bodies  were  visible,  and  Edmund  supposed  that,  after 
the  Danes  had  retired,  the  survivors  must  have  returned 
and  buried  their  dead.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  when 
the  Dane  pointed  out  to  Edmund  a  half-naked  lad,  who 
was  running  with  the  swiftness  of  a  deer  over  a  slope  at 
some  little  distance. 

"  He  is  going  too  fast  for  us  to  catch  him,"  Edmund 
said  carelessly ;  "  and  as,  even  if  we  did  so,  he  could  give 
us  no  information  of  any  use — for  you  may  be  sure  he 
has  not  ventured  near  the  town — ^we  may  well  let  him  go 
on  in  his  way." 

For  three  or  four  miles  further  they  pursued  their 
course.  The  country,  which  was  exceedingly  fertile, 
and  covered  with  cornfields  and  vineyards,  appeared 
entirely  deserted.  Here  and  there  a  wide  blackened 
tract  showed  where,  from  carelessness  or  malice,  a  brand 
had  been  thrown  into  the  standing  com. 

"  The  Danes  are  ever  the  same,"  Edmund  said. 
"  Well  may  they  be  called  the  sea  wolves.  It  would  be 
bad  enough,  did  they  only  plunder  and  kill  those  who 
oppose  them;  but  they  destroy  from  the  pure  love  of 
destroying,  and  slay  for  the  pleasure  of  slaying.  Why 
are  these  robbers  permitted  to  be  the  scourge  of 
Europe?  " 


FREDA   DISCOVERED.  365 

"Why,  indeed?"  the  Genoese  repeated,  when  the 
interpreter  had  translated  Edmund's  exclamation  to  him. 
"  'Tis  shame  and  disgrace  that  Christendom  does  not 
unite  against  them.  They  are  no  more  invincible  now 
than  they  were  when  Caesar  overran  their  country  and 
brought  them  into  subjection.  What  the  Romans  could 
do  then  would  be  easy  for  the  Christian  powers  to  do 
now,  if  they  would  but  make  common  cause  against  these 
marauders — nay,  Italy  alone  should  be  able  at  any  rate 
to  sweep  the  Mediterranean  free  of  their  pirate  galleys; 
but  Venice  and  Grenoa  and  Pisa  are  consumed  by  their 
own  petty  jealousies  and  quarrels,  while  all  our  seacoasts 
are  ravaged  by  these  wolves  of  the  ocean." 

"Ah!  what  is  that?"  he  exclaimed,  breaking  off,  as 
an  arrow  struck  smartly  against  his  helmet. 

They  were  at  the  moment  passing  through  a  small 
wood  which  bordered  the  road  on  both  sides.  The 
first  arrow  seemed  but  a  signal,  for  in  an  instant  a 
score  of  others  flew  among  the  party.  It  was  well  that 
they  carried  with  them  the  long  Danish  shields,  which 
nearly  covered  their  whole  body.  As  it  was,  several 
slight  wounds  were  inflicted,  and  the  interpreter  fell  dead 
with  an  arrow  in  his  forehead. 

Immediately  following  the  flight  of  arrows  a  crowd  of 
peasants  armed  with  staves,  axes,  and  pikes  dashed  out 
from  the  wood  on  both  sides  and  fell  upon  them,  uttering 
shouts  of  "Death  to  the  marauders!"  "Kill  the  sea 
wolves ! " 

So  great  was  the  din  that,  although  the  Genoese 
shouted  loudly  that  they  were  not  Danes  but  friends,  his 
words  were  unheard  in  the  din;  and,  attacked  fiercely  on 
all  sides,  the  three  men  were  forced  to  defend  themselves 


266  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

for  their  lives.  Standing  back  to  back  in  the  form  of  a 
triangle,  they  defended  themselves  valiantly  against  the 
desperate  attacks  of  their  assailants. 

Several  of  these  were  cut  down,  but  so  furious  was  the 
attack  of  the  maddened  peasants  that  the  defenders  were 
borne  down  by  the  weight  of  numbers,  and  one  by  one 
beaten  to  the  ground.  Then  the  peasants  rained  blows 
upon  them  as  if  they  had  been  obnoxious  wild  beasts, 
and  in  spite  Of  their  armor  would  speedily  have  slain 
them  had  not  the  Genoese,  with  a  g^eat  effort,  pulled 
from  his  breast  a  cross,  which  was  suspended  there  by  a 
silken  cord,  and  held  it  up,  shouting,  "  We  are  Chris- 
tians; we  are  Italians,  and  no  Danes." 

So  surprised  were  the  peasants  at  the  sight  that  they 
recoiled  from  their  victims.  The  Dane  was  already  in- 
sensible. Edmund  had  just  strength  to  draw  his  dagger 
and  hold  up  the  crossed  hilt  and  repeat  the  words,  "  We 
are  Christians."  It  was  the  sight  of  the  cross  rather 
than  the  words  which  had  arrested  the  attacks  of  the 
peasants.  Indeed,  the  words  of  the  Genoese  were  scarce 
understood  by  them,  so  widely  did  their  own  patois  differ 
from  the  language  of  polished  Italy. 

The  fact,  however,  that  these  Danes  were  Christians 
seemed  so  extraordinary  to  them  that  they  desisted  from 
their  attack.  The  Danes,  they  knew,  were  pagans  and 
bitterly  hostile  to  Christianity,  the  monasteries  and  priests 
being  special  objects  of  their  hostility.  The  suggestion 
of  one  of  the  peasants,  that  the  cross  had  no  doubt  been 
taken  from  the  body  of  some  man  murdered  by  the 
Danes,  revived  the  passion  of  the  rest  and  nearly  cost  the 
prisoners  their  lives;  but  an  older  man,  who  seemed  to 


FREDA    DISCOVERED.  '267 

have  a  certain  authority  over  the  others,  said  that  the 
matter  must  be  inquired  into,  especially  as  the  man  who 
had  the  cross,  and  who  continued  to  address  them  in 
Italian,  clearly  spoke  some  language  approaching  their 
own.  He  would  have  questioned  him  further,  but  the 
Genoese  was  now  rapidly  losing  consciousness  from  the 
pain  of  his  wounds  and  the  loss  of  blood. 

The  three  prisoners  were  therefore  bound,  and  being 
placed  on  rough  litters  constructed  of  boughs  were 
carried  off  by  the  peasants.  The  strength  and  excellence 
of  Edmund's  armor  had  enabled  him  to  withstand  the 
blows  better  than  his  companions,  and  he  retained  his 
consciousness  of  what  was  passing.  For  three  hours 
their  journey  continued.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they 
entered  a  wood  high  up  on  the  hillside.  There  was  a 
great  clamor  of  voices  round,  and  he  judged  that  his  con- 
ductors had  met  another  party  and  that  they  were  at  the 
end  of  their  journey. 

The  litters  were  now  laid  down  and  Edmund  struggled 
to  his  feet.  Before  him  stood  a  tall  and  handsome  man 
in  the  attire  of  a  person  of  the  upper  class.  The  old 
peasant  was  explaining  to  him  the  manner  of  their  cap- 
ture of  the  prisoners,  and  the  reason  why  they  had  spared 
their  lives. 

"  How  is  it,"  the  noble  asked  when  he  had  finished, 
turning  to  Edmund,  "  that  you  who  are  Danes  and 
pagans,  plunderers  and  murderers,  claim  to  be  Chris- 
tians?" 

Edmund  did  not  understand  the  entire  address,  but  he 
had  already  picked  up  a  little  Italian,  which  was  not 
difficult  for  him  from  his  acquaintance  with  French. 


368  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  We  are  not  Danes,"  he  said;  "  we  are  their  enemies. 
I  am  a  Saxon  earl,  and  this  my  friend  is  a  noble  of 
Genoa." 

"A  Saxon!"  the  Italian  exclaimed  in  surprise;  "one 
of  the  people  of  King  Alfred,  and  this  a  Genoese  noble! 
How  is  it  that  you  are  masquerading  here  as  Danes?  " 

"  I  speak  but  a  few  words  of  Italian,"  Edmund  said, 
"  but  my  friend  will  tell  you  the  whole  story  when  he 
recovers.  I  pray  you  to  order  aid  to  be  given  to  him 
at  once." 

Although  still  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  it  had 
come  about,  the  Count  of  Ugoli — for  it  was  that  noble 
himself — saw  that  his  prisoner's  statement  must  be  a 
true  one.  In  their  native  patois  he  hastily  told  the 
peasants  that  there  must  be  some  mistake,  and  that 
although  their  prisoners  seemed  to  be  Danes  they  were 
really  Christians  and  friends.  He  bade  them  then  in- 
stantly to  strip  off  their  armor,  to  bind  up  their  wounds, 
and  to  use  all  their  efforts  to  restore  them  to  life. 

At  his  bidding  one  of  the  peasants  brought  a  wine- 
skin, and  filling  a  large  cup  with  the  liquid,  offered  it  to 
Edmund.  The  latter  drained  it  at  a  draught,  for  he  was 
devoured  by  a  terrible  thirst.  After  this  he  felt  revived, 
and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  comrades 
recovering  under  the  ministrations  of  the  peasants,  who 
chafed  their  hands,  applied  cool  poultices  of  bruised 
leaves  to  their  bruises,  and  poured  wine  down  their 
throats. 

In  half  an  hour  the  Genoese  was  sufficiently  recovered 
to  be  able  to  sit  up  and  to  give  a  full  account  of  their 
presence  there,  and  of  their  object  in  assuming  the  dis- 
guise of  Danes.     He  then  told  the  count  that  Edmund 


FREDA   DISCOVBRBD.  369 

intended  to  reconnoiter  the  place  alone,  and  that  he 
hoped  he  and  his  people  would  attack  the  town,  while  the 
Saxons  in  their  galley  made  an  assault  from  the  sea. 
The  count  replied  that  the  peasantry  could  not  be  in- 
duced to  take  such  a  step. 

"  I  will,  however,  aid  your  friend,"  he  said,  "  by  a 
feigned  attack  to-morrow  evening  when  he  is  there. 
This  may  help  him  to  escape,  and  if  the  Danes  sally  out 
next  day  in  pursuit  there  will  be  the  fewer  for  him  to 
cope  with." 

When  Edmund  awoke  the  next  morning  he  found 
himself  able  to  walk  and  move  without  difficulty  and 
with  but  little  pain,  thanks  to  the  care  of  the  peasants, 
and  in  the  afternoon,  being  furnished  by  the  count  with 
a  guide,  he  started  for  the  town. 

When  he  arrived  within  a  short  distance  he  dismissed 
his  guide  and  lay  down  in  some  bushes  till  nightfall,  then 
he  rose  and  made  his  way  into  the  town,  passing  unob- 
served between  the  watch  fires  made  by  the  parties  of 
Danes  encamped  in  its  outskirfti  to  protect  it  against 
surprise.  Once  in  the  town  he  walked  boldly  on,  hav- 
ing no  fear  of  recognition  or  question. 

Sounds  of  carousing  came  through  the  open  case- 
ments, but  few  people  were  in  the  streets.  He  made  his 
way  down  to  the  seashore,  which  he  followed  until  he 
came  to  a  large  and  stately  mansion  standing  in  beauti- 
fully laid  out  gardens  at  the  end  of  the  town.  Several 
tents  were  erected  in  the  garden ;  and  although  the  night 
was  not  cold  great  fires  had  been  lighted,  around  which 
the  Danes  were  carousing. 

Avoiding  these  Edmund  walked  up  to  the  open  win- 
dows.   The  first  room  he  looked  into  was  deserted,  but 


ayO  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

in  the  next,  which  was  a  large  apartment,  a  number  of 
Danes  were  seated  at  table.  At  its  head  sat  Sweyn  with 
Freda  on  his  right  hand.  Around  were  a  number  of  his 
leading  men,  the  captains  of  the  galleys  and  their  wives. 
The  meal  was  over,  and  the  wine  cup  was  passing  round. 
A  number  of  attendants  moved  about  the  room,  and 
many  of  the  warriors  who  had  supped  elsewhere  stood 
around  the  table,  joining  in  the  conversation  and  taking 
their  share  of  the  wine. 

Edmund  saw  at  once  that  he  could  not  hope  for  a 
more  favorable  opportunity,  and  he  'accordingly  entered 
the  mansion,  and,  passing  through  the  open  door,  joined 
the  party  within,  keeping  himself  in  rear  of  those  stand- 
ing round  the  table,  so  that  the  light  from  the  lamps 
placed  there  should  not  fall  upon  his  face. 

Just  as  he  had  taken  his  place  Sweyn  called  out: 

"  Let  us  have  a  song!  Odoacre  the  minstrel,  do  you 
sing  to  us  the  song  of  the  Raven." 

A  minstrel  bearing  a  small  harp  advanced  into  the 
center  of  the  horseshoe  table,  and  after  striking  a  chord, 
began  to  sing,  or  rather  to  chant,  one  of  the  favorite 
songs  of  the  sea  rovers. 

A  shout  of  applause  rose  from  the  Danes  as  the  min- 
strel ceased,  and  holding  their  goblets  high  above  their 
heads,  they  drank  to  the  Raven. 

While  the  singing  was  going  on  Edmund  quietly  made 
his  way  round  to  one  of  the  open  windows.  It  was  the 
hour  at  which  the  count  had  promised  to  make  his 
attack,  and  he  listened  eagerly  for  any  sound  which 
might  tell  that  the  peasants  had  begun  their  work. 
Other  songs  followed  the  first,  and  Edmund  began  to  be 
afraid  that  the  courage  of  the  peasants  had  failed  at  the 
last  moment. 


D.&R.    Freda  restored  to  heb  Father  and  Edmund.— Page  270. 


FREDA   DISCOVERED.  27 1 

Suddenly  he  saw  lights  appear  at  five  or  six  points  in 
the  distance,  and,  putting  his  head  out,  he  thought  he 
could  hear  distant  cries  and  shouts.  The  lights  grew 
brighter,  and  soon  broad  tongues  of  flame  shot  up. 
Shouts  at  once  arose  from  the  guards  without.  Some 
of  the  revelers,  hearing  these,  went  to  the  windows  to  see 
.what  was  happening,  and  gave  a  cry  of  alarm.  "  Sweyn, 
we  must  be  attacked;  fires  are  rising  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  towf." 

"  These  cowards  would  never  venture  to  disturb  us," 
Sweyn  said  scornfully.  "  Of  all  the  foes  we  have  ever 
met  none  were  so  feeble  and  timid  as  these  Italians." 

"  But  see,  Sweyn,  the  flames  are  rising  from  eight 
points;  this  cannot  be  accident." 

-Sweyn  rose  from  his  seat  and  went  to  the  window. 

"  No,  by  Wodin,"  he  exclaimed,  "  there  is  mischief 
here;  let  us  arm  ourselves,  and  do  you,"  he  said,  turning 
to  a  young  man,  "  run  swiftly  to  the  outposts,  and  learn 
what  is  the  meaning  of  this." 

Scarcely,  however,  had  he  spoken  when  a  man  ran 
breathlessly  into  the  hall. 

*'  Haste  to  the  front,  jarl,"  he  said  to  Sweyn,  "  we  are 
attacked.  Some  of  the  enemy  creeping  in  between  our 
fires  set  fire  to  the  houses  in  the  outskirts,  and  as  we 
leaped  to  our  feet  in  astonishment  at  the  sudden  out- 
break, they  fell  upon  us.  Many  of  my  comrades  were 
killed  with  the  first  discharge  of  arrows,  then  they 
rushed  on  in  such  numbers  that  many  more  were  slain, 
and  the  rest  driven  in.  How  it  fares  with  the  other  posts 
I  know  not,  but  methinks  they  were  all  attacked  at  the 
same  moment.  I  waited  not  to  see,  for  my  captain  bade 
me  speed  here  with  the  news." 


272  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

"  Sound  the  horn  of  assembly,"  Sweyn  said.  "  Do 
you,  Oderic,  take  twenty  of  the  guard  without,  and  at 
once  conduct  the  ladies  here  to  the  boats  and  get  them 
on  board  the  galleys.  Let  all  others  hasten  to  the  scene 
of  attack.  But  I  can  hardly  even  now  believe  that  this 
coward  herd  intend  to  attack  us  in  earnest.** 

In  the  confusion  which  reigned  as  the  warriors  were 
seizing  their  shields  and  arms,  Edmund  approached 
Freda,  who  had  with  the  rest  risen  from  her  seat. 

"  The  Dragon  is  at  hand,"  he  \yhispered ;  "  in  a  few 
hours  we  will  attack  Sweyn's  galley;  barricade  yourself 
in  your  cabin  until  the  fight  is  over." 

Freda  gave  a  little  start  as  Edmund's  first  words 
reached  her  ear.  Then  she  stood  still  and  silent.  She  felt 
her  hand  taken  and  pressed,  and,  glancing  round,  met 
Edmund's  eye  for  a  moment  just  as  he  turned  and  joined 
the  Danes  who  were  leaving  the  hall.  A  minute  later 
Oderic  entered  with  the  guard,  and  at  once  escorted  the 
women  down  to  the  boats  and  rowed  them  off  to  the 
galleys. 

Sweyn  and  the  main  body  of  the  Danes  rushed 
impetuously  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  The  fighting 
was  already  at  an  end,  the  peasants  having  withdrawn 
after  their  first  success.  Two  or  three  of  the  parties 
round  the  watch-fires  had  been  annihilated  before  they 
could  offer  any  effectual  resistance,  others  had  beaten 
off  the  attack,  and  had  fallen  back  in  good  order  to  the 
houses,  losing,  however,  many  men  on  the  way  from 
the  arrows  which  their  assailants  shot  among  them. 

Sweyn  and  the  Norsemen  were  furious  at  the  loss  they 
had  suffered;  but  as  pursuit  would  have  been  useless, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done  for  the  present,  and  after 


FREDA    DISCOVERED.  273 

posting  strong  guards,  in  case  the  attack  should  be  re- 
newed, the  Danish  leaders  returned  to  the  banqueting 
hall,  where,  over  renewed  draughts  of  wine,  a  council 
was  held. 

Most  of  those  present  were  in  favor  of  sending  out  a 
strong  expedition  on  the  following  day  to  avenge  the 
attack;  but  Sweyn  argued  that  it  might  be  that  the 
natives  had  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  island,  and 
that  this  sudden  attack,  the  like  of  which  had  not  been 
attempted  before,  was  perhaps  made  only  to  draw  them 
out  into  an  ambush  or  to  attack  the  town  in  their 
absence.  Therefore  he  urged  it  was  better  to  delay  mak- 
ing an  expedition  for  a  short  time,  when  they  would 
find  the  enemy  unprepared. 

After  some  discussion  Sweyn's  arguments  prevailed, 
and  it  was  determined  to  postpone  the  expedition  for  a 
few  days. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

UNITED. 

No  sooner  did  Edmund  find  himself  outside  the  man- 
sion than  he  separated  himself  from  the  Danes,  and, 
following  the  seashore,  set  out  on  his  return  to  the 
Dragon.  The  tide  was  out,  and  although  the  night  was 
dark  he  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  his  way  along  the 
shore,  keeping  close  to  the  margin  of  the  waves.  When 
he  approached  the  headland  he  was  forced  to  take  to  the 
land,  as  the  waves  beat  against  the  foot  of  the  rock. 
Guided  by  the  stars  he  made  his  way  across  the  cape  and 
came  down  on  to  the  shore  of  the  bay. 

A  light  was  burning  on  the  poop  of  the  Dragon,  and 
his  hail  was  at  once  answered.  A  few  minutes  later  a 
boat  touched  the  shore  beside  him,  and  he  was  soon  on 
board  the  ship,  and  at  once  held  council  with  Egbert  and 
Siegbert,  to  whom  he  related  all  that  had  happened. 
He  learned  from  them  that  his  two  wounded  comrades 
had  been  brought  down  to  the  beach  that  evening  by  the 
cout^try  people,  and  had  told  them  how  narrow  an  escape 
they  had  had  of  death  at  the  hands  of  the  enraged 
peasants. 

After  a  discussion  of  all  the  different  plans  upon  which 
they  might  act,  it  was  determined  that  the  attempt  to 
rescue  Freda  should  be  made  at  once,  as  they  considered 
it  certain  that  Sweyn  with  a  large  portion  of  his  band 


UNITED.  975 

would  set  out  at  daybreak  to  take  vengeance  upon  the 
natives. 

The  plan  decided  upon  was  that  they  should  proceed 
along  the  shore,  and  that  if  the  Danish  galleys,  being 
undermanned,  did  not  put  out  in  pursuit,  they  should 
sail  in  and  attack  them.  The  Danes  were  indeed  greatly 
superior  in  force,  for  they  had  counted  the  ships,  the 
smallest  of  which  would  carry  a  hundred  men.  Still,  in 
the  absence  of  a  portion  of  their  crews,  and  from  the 
effects  of  surprise,  they  thought  that  success  was 
possible. 

The  next  morning  sail  was  hoisted,  and  the  Dragon 
made  her  way  along  the  coast.  The  hour  was  later 
than  that  at  which  she  had  shown  herself  on  the  previous 
day.  She  sailed  on  until  within  two  miles  of  the  town, 
and  then  suddenly  turned  her  head  seaward,  as  if  she  had 
only  then  perceived  the  Danish  vessels.  The  instant  she 
did  so  a  great  bustle  wa^  observed  among  them.  Many 
boats  were  seen  pushing  off  from  shore  crowded  with 
men,  oars  were  got  out,  and  sails  loosed. 

"  From  the  number  of  men  who  are  crowding  on 
board,"  Egbert  said,  "  I  believe  that  Sweyn  cannot  have 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  natives;  in  that  case  we  shall 
have  a  hard  fight  of  it." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  Siegbert  exclaimed.  "  I 
should  consider  our  task  was  but  half  accomplished  if  we 
rescued  Freda  without  punishing  Sweyn.  Let  them 
come,"  he  said,  shaking  his  battle-ax  at  the  galleys. 
"  Though  my  leg  is  stiff  my  arms  are  not,  as  Sweyn  shall 
learn  if  I  meet  him." 

The  Dragon's  oars  were  now  put  out  and  the  galley 
slaves  began  to  row,  the  Saxons  concealing  themselves 


976  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

behind  the  bulwarks.  In  a  few  minutes  the  whole  of 
the  Danish  galleys  were  unmoored  and  started  in  pur- 
suit of  the  supposed  Italian  vesseL  The  breeze  was 
light,  but  somewhat  helped  the  Dragon.  Four  of  the 
Northmen's  vessels  were  large  ships  with  sails,  and  these 
speedily  fell  behind,  but  the  others  with  their  oars  gained 
slowly  on  the  Dragon. 

Edmund  saw  with  satisfaction  that  the  two  galleys  of 
Sweyn,  which  he  at  once  recognized,  were  somewhat 
faster  than  their  consorts,  and  the  slaves  were  made  to 
row  as  hard  as  they  could  in  order  to  prolong  the  chase 
as  much  as  possible,  by  which  means  Sweyn's  galleys 
would  be  the  further  separated  from  the  others. 

After  the  pursuit  had  been  continued  for  some  miles 
Sweyn's  galleys  were  but  a  few  hundred  yards  in  the 
rear,  and  were  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  those 
of  their  comrades,  which  had  gained  but  little  upon 
the  Dragon  since  the  chase  began.  Edmund  ordered  tlie 
men  to  cease  rowing,  as  if  despairing  of  escape.  The 
Genoese  took  their  station  on  the  poop,  and  as  Sweyn's 
galley  came  rushing  up  they  shouted  to  it  that  they 
would  surrender  if  promised  their  lives.  The  Northmen 
answered  with  a  shout -of  triumph  and  derision,  and 
dashed  alongside. 

Sweyn's  own  galley  was  slightly  in  advance  of  the 
others.  Edmund  ordered  the  oars  to  be  pulled  in  as 
the  Northmen  came  up,  so  as  to  allow  them  to  come 
alongside.  Not  a  word  was  spoken  on  board  the  Dragon 
till  the  Danes,  leaving  their  oars,  swarmed  up  the  side, 
headed  by  Sweyn  himself.  Then  Edmund  gave  a  shout, 
the  Saxons  leaped  to  their  feet,  and,  raising  their  battle 
cry,  fell  upon  the  astonished  Danes. 


UNITEIX  277 

Those  who  had  climbed  up  were  instantly  cut  down  or 
hurled  back  into  their  own  galley,  and  the  Saxons  leap- 
ing down,  a  tremendous  fight  ensued.  Edmund  with 
Siegbert  and  half  his  crew  boarded  the  Dane  close  to  the 
poop,  and  so  cut  the  Northmen  off  from  that  part  of  the 
vessel,  while  Egbert  with  the  rest  boarded  further  for- 
ward. The  Danes  would  have  been  speedily  over- 
powered had  not  the  second  galley  arrived  upon  the  spot; 
and  these,  seeing  the  combat  which  was  raging,  at  once 
leaped  upon  Sweyn's  galley.  With  this  accession  of 
force,  although  numbers  of  the  Danes  had  fallen  in  the 
first  attack,  they  still  outnumbered  the  Saxons. 

Sweyn,  heading  his  men,  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
drive  back  Edmund's  party.  His  men,  however,  fought 
less  bravely  than  usual.  Their  astonishment  at  finding 
the  ship  which  they  had  regarded  as  an  easy  prize 
manned  by  Saxons  was  overwhelming,  and  the  sight  of 
Siegbert,  whom  many  of  them  knew,  in  the  front  rank 
of  their  enemies  added  to  their  confusion. 

Sweyn  himself,  as  he  recognized  Edmund,  at  once 
made  at  him,  and,  wielding  a  heavy  ax  in  his  left  hand, 
strove  to  cut  him  down;  and  Edmund,  strong  and  skill- 
ful as  he  was,  had  great  difficulty  in  parrying  the  blows 
which  the  Northman  rained  upon  him.  The  combat, 
however,  was  decided  by  Siegbert,  who  hurled  his  jave- 
lin at  Sweyn,  the  weapon  passing  completely  through  his 
body.  Sweyn  fell  on  the  deck  with  a  crash.  The 
Northmen,  dispirited  at  the  fall  of  their  leader,  hesitated, 
and  as  the  Saxons  sprang  upon  them  turned  and  fled 
into  the  other  galley.  The  door  of  the  poop  opened  and 
Freda  flew  into  her  father's  arms. 

"Quick,  Siegbert,  to  the  Dragon!"  Edmund  cried^ 


278  THE  DRAOON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

and  shouted  orders  to  his  men.  "  There  is  not  a  moment 
to  be  lost.    The  other  galleys  are  just  upon  us." 

The  Saxons  rushed  back  to  the  Dragon;  the  oars 
were  thrust  out  again,  and  the  vessel  got  under  way  just 
as  the  other  Danish  galleys  arrived  on  the  spot.  While 
some  of  the  Saxons  poured  volleys  of  arrows  and  javelins 
into  the  Northmen,  the  others  at  Edmund's  order  leaped 
down  and  double-banked  the  oars.  The  increase  of 
power  was  soon  manifest,  and  the  Dragon  began  to  draw 
away  from  the  Danes.  Gradually  their  galleys  fell  back 
out  of  bow-shot,  and  after  continuing  the  chase  for  some 
little  time  longer  they  abandoned  it  as  hopeless  and  lay 
upon  their  oars  to  rest. 

A  shout  of  triumph  rose  from  the  Saxons,  and  then 
Edmund,  who  had  hitherto  been  fully  occupied  with  the 
command  of  the  vessel,  turned  to  Freda,  who  was  still 
standing  by  her  father. 

"  I  have  been  a  long  time  in  fulfilling  my  promise, 
Freda,"  he  said ;  "  but,  as  your  father  will  tell  you,  I  have 
done  my  best.  Thank  Cjod,  who  has  given  me  success 
at  last!" 

"  I  never  doubted  that  you  would  come,  Edmund/* 
she  said,  "  and  the  knowledge  has  enabled  me  to  stand 
firm  against  both  the  entreaties  and  threats  of  Sweyn. 
How  can  I  thank  you  for  all  you  have  done  for  me?  " 

"  I  have  spoken  to  your  father,  Freda ;  and  he  has 
promised  me  your  hand  if  you,  indeed,  are  willing  to  be- 
stow it.  I  promised  to  come  for  you  if  you  would  waft, 
nearly  five  years  ago,  and  I  have  never  thought  of  any 
other  woman." 

"  I  have  waited  for  you,  Edmund,"  she  said  simply, 
"  and  would  never  have  wed  another,  had  you  not  come. 


UNITED.  S79 

You  are  my  hero,  and  methinks  I  have  loved  you  ever 
since  the  day  when  you  boarded  our  ship  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Humber." 

"  Take  her,  Edmund,"  Siegbert  said;  "  you  have  nobly, 
W(Mi  her,  and  there  is  no  one  to  whom  I  could  be  so  well 
content  to  intrust  her.  I  now  join  your  hands  in  token 
of  betrothal." 

The  crew  of  the  Dragon,  who  had  been  watching  the 
scene,  raised  a  shout  of  gladness  as  they  saw  Siegbert 
place  Freda's  hand  in  that  of  Edmund.  They  had 
guessed  that  their  lord  must  have  an  affection  for  this 
Danish  maiden  in  whose  pursuit  they  had  come  so  far, 
and  were  delighted  at  the  happy  issue  of  the  expedition. 

"  I  trust,  Freda,"  Edmund  said  to  her  after  a  while, 
"that  you  have  thought  of  the  talk  we  had  about 
religion,  and  that  you  will  forsake  the  barbarous  gods 
of  your  people  and  become  a  Christian,  as  so  many  of 
your  people  have  done  in  England,  and  that  you  will  be 
wedded  to  me  not  in  the  rude  way  of  the  Danes,  but  in  a 
Christian  church." 

"  I  have  thought  much  of  it,"  she  said,  "  and  have 
come  to  think  that  your  God  of  peace  must  be  better 
than  the  gods  of  war;  but  I  would  fain  know  more  of 
Him  before  I  desert  the  religion  of  my  fathers." 

"  That  shall  you,"  Edmund  said.  "  With  your  father's 
permission  I  will  place  you  for  a  short  time  in  a  convent 
in  Rome,  and  one  of  the  Saxon  monks  shall  teach  you 
the  tenets  of  our  faith.  It  will  be  but  for  a  short  time, 
dear;  and  while  you  are  there  we  will  try  and  capture 
some  of  Hastings'  galleys,  filled  with  plunder,  for  my 
men  have  come  far,  and  I  would  fain  that  they  returned 
with  an  ample  booty." 


•8o  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

Freda  and  Siegbert  agreed  to  the  plan,  and  the  latter 
said :  "  I  too  will  tarry  in  Rome  while  you  are  away, 
Edmund.  I  could  fight  against  Sweyn,  for  it  was  in 
a  private  quarrel,  but  I  cannot  war  against  my  country- 
men. I  too  will  talk  with  your  Saxon  monks  and  hear 
about  this  new  religion  of  yours,  for  I  think  that,  as  I 
have  no  others  to  love  or  care  for,  I  shall  return  to  Eng- 
land with  you,  and,  if  you  will  have  me,  take  up  my 
abode  in  your  English  home  so  as  to  be  near  you  and 
my  daughter." 

The  Dragon  returned  to  Rome.'  There  Edmund 
procured  lodgings  for  Siegbert  and  Freda,  and  the  Saxon 
monks  gladly  arranged  to  visit  them  and  instruct  them 
in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  The  Dragon  sailed 
again  for  the  coast  of  Sicily  and  was  absent  a  month, 
during  which  time  she  captured  a  number  of  Danish 
galleys,  most  of  which  were  laden  with  rich  booty. 
Then  she  returned  to  Rome.  A  few  days  later  a 
solemn  service  was  held,  at  which  Freda  and  Siegbert 
were  baptized  as  Christians,  and  after  this  was  done  a 
marriage  service  was  held,  and  Edmund  and  Freda 
married  with  the  rites  of  the  Christian  church.  The 
Pope  himself  was  present  at  the  services  and  bestowed 
his  blessing  upon  the  newly  married  couple,  the  novelty 
of  the  occasion  drawing  a  vast  crowd  of  spectators. 

A  few  days  later  the  Dragon  again  put  to  sea,  and 
after  a  speedy  voyage  with  favorable  weather  arrived  in 
England  without  further  adventure.  Edmund's  arrival 
at  home  was  the  occasion  of  great  rejoicings.  The  news 
of  the  share  which  the  Dragon  and  her  crew  had  taken 
in  the  defense  of  Paris  had  reached  England,  but  none 
knew  what  had  become  of  her- from  that  time,  and  when 


UNITED.  381 

months  had  passed  without  tidings  of  her  being  received 
it  was  generally  supposed  that  she  must  have  been  lost. 

Her  return  laden  with  rich  booty  excited  the  greatest 
enthusiasm,  and  the  king  himself  journeyed  to  Sher- 
borne to  welcome  Edmund  on  his  arrival  there. 

"  So  this  is  the  reason,"  he  said,  smiling,  when  Ed- 
mund presented  Freda  to  him,  "  why  you  were  ever  so 
insensible  to  the  attractions  of  our  Saxon  maidens! 
Truly  the  reason  is  a  fair  one  and  fully  excuses  you,  and 
right  glad  am  I  to  welcome  your  bonny  bride  to  our 
shores." 

Alfred  remained  three  days  at  Sherborne  and  then 
left  Edmund  to  administer  the  affairs  of  his  earldom,  for 
which  a  substitute  had  been  provided  in.  his  absence. 
The  large  plunder  which  the  Dragon  had  brought  home 
had  enriched  all  who  had  sailed  in  her,  and  greatly  added 
to  the  prosperity  which  prevailed  in  Edmund's  district. 

He  found  that  in  his  absence  Alfred  had  introduced 
many  changes.  The  administration  of  justice  was  no 
longer  in  the  hands  of  the  ealdorman,  judges  having 
been  appointed  who  journeyed  through  the  land  and 
administered  justice.  Edmund  highly  approved  of  the 
change,  for  although  in  most  cases  the  ealdormen  had 
acted  to  the  best  of  their  powers  they  had  a  g^eat  deal  of 
other  business  to  do;  besides,  their  decisions  necessarilyj 
aggrieved  one  party  or  the  other  and  sometimes  caused 
feuds  and  bad  feelings,  and  were  always  liable  to  be  sus- 
pected of  being  tinged  with  partiality;  whereas  the 
judges,  being  strangers  in  the  district,  would  give  their 
decisions  without  bias  or  favor. 

Freda  had,  as  was  the  custom,  taken  a  new  name  in 
baptism,  but  at  Edmund's  request  her  name  had  only^ 


282  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

been  changed  to  the  Christian  one  of  Elfrida,  and 
Edmund  to  the  end  of  his  life  continued  to  call  her  by 
her  old  name.  She  speedily  became  as  popular  in  the 
earldom  as  was  her  husband. 

Siegbert,  who  had  been  christened  Harold,  took 
kindly  to  his  new  life.  Between  him  and  Egbert  a  great 
friendship  had  sprung  up,  and  Edmund  built  for  their 
joint  use  a  house  close  to  his  own. 

In  884  Alfred  heard  that  the  Danes  of  East  Anglia 
were  in  correspondence  with  their  countrymen  at  home 
and  in  France,  and  that  there  was  danger  that  the  peace 
of  England  would  be  disturbed.  The  thanes  were  there- 
fore bidden  to  prepare  for  another  struggle,  to  gather 
sufficient  arms  in  readiness  for  all  the  able-bodied  men 
in  their  district,  and  to  call  out  their  contingents  from 
time  to  time  to  practice  in  the  use  of  arms. 

The  ealdormen  whose  seats  of  government  bordered 
on  the  sea  were  ordered  to  construct  ships  of  war,  so 
that  any  Danish  armament  might  be  met  at  sea. 
Edmund  was  appointed  to  command  this  fleet,  and  was 
instructed  to  visit  the  various  ports  to  superintend  the 
construction  of  the  ships,  and  when  they  were  com- 
pleted to  exercise  their  crews  in  naval  maneuvers. 

The  winter  of  884  was  spent  by  Edmund  in  the  per- 
formance of  these  duties.  The  Dragon  was  again  fitted 
out,  and  in  her  he  cruised  from  port  to  port.  Freda, 
who  was  passionately  fond  of  the  sea,  accompanied  him, 
as  did  Siegbert  and  Egbert.  It  was  not  until  May  in 
885  that  the  threatened  invasion  took  place.  Then  the 
news  came  to  the  king  that  the  Danes  had  landed  in 
large  numbers  near  Rochester  and  had  laid  siege  to  the 
town.    The  king  instantly  summoned  his  fighting  array, 


UNITED.  "  aS$ 

and  in  a  few  days  moved  at  the  head  of  a  large  army 
toward  Kent.  Rochester  was  defending  it^lf  valiantly. 
The  Danes  erected  a  great  tower  opposite  to  the  prin- 
cipal gate,  and,  overwhelming  the  defenders  on  the  walls 
with  their  missiles,  endeavored  to  force  their  way  in  byj 
battering  down  tiie  gate. 

The  inhabitants,  however,  piled  great  masses  of  stcme 
behind  it,  and  even  when  the  gate  was  battered  in  the 
Danes,  with  all  their  efforts,  were  unable  to  force  an 
entrance.  The  Saxon  army  advanced  with  such  celerity 
that  the  Danes  had  ceceived  no  news  of  their  coming 
until  they  were  close  at  hand.  Then  one  of  their  forag- 
ing parties  arrived  with  the  intelligence  that  a  great 
Saxon  army  was  upon  them.  The  Danes  were  seized 
with  a  sudden  panic,  and  fled  precipitately  to  their  ships, 
leaving  behind  them  the  horses  they  had  brought  from 
France,  their  stores,  and  all  the  prisoners  and  spoil  they 
had  gathered  in  their  incursions  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Rochester.  Seeing  how  well  the  Saxons  were  prepared 
for  resistance  the  greater  portion  of  the  Danes  crossed 
to  France,  but  sixteen  of  their  vessels  entered  the  Stour 
and  joined  their  allies  of  East  Anglia. 

Alfred  ordered  his  fleet  to  assemble  in  the  Medway, 
and  in  a  fortnight  the  vessels  from  all  the  southern  ports 
arrived.  They  were  filled  with  fighting  men,  and  sailed 
to  attack  the  Danes  in  the  Stour,  after  which  the  force 
was  to  land  and  to  inflict  a  severe  punishment  upon  E^st 
Anglia.  On  hearing  of  the  gathering  of  the  Saxon  fleet 
Athelstan  sent  across  to  France  and  begged  the  Danes 
to  come  to  his  assistance,  but  none  of  their  vessels  had 
arrived  when  the  Saxon  fleet  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
Stour. 


284  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

The  fighting  force  on  board  the  Danish  ships  had  been 
largely  re-enforced  by  their  countrymen  of  East  Anglia, 
and  in  a  close  body  they  rowed  out  to  give  battle  to  the 
Saxons.  A  desperate  fight  ensued,  but  after  a  struggle, 
which  continued  for  many  hours,  the  Danes  were  com- 
pletely defeated,  the  whole  of  their  vessels  were  captured, 
and  all  on  board  put  to  the  sword. 

On  the  following  day  the  army  landed  and  ravaged 
the  surrounding  country  and  returned  to  the  ships  with 
much  booty.  As  they  sailed  out  of  the  river  they  saw  a 
ivast  fleet  of  the  enemy  approaching.  Athelstan  had 
assembled  his  ships  from  all  the  ports  of  East  Anglia, 
and  had  been  joined  by  a  large  re-enforcement  of  his 
countrymen  from  France.  The  Saxons  were  greatly 
outnumbered,  but  a  portion  of  the  fleet  fought  with  great 
bravery.  Some  of  the  ships,  however,  being  manned 
with  newly  collected  crews  unaccustomed  to  naval  war, 
lost  heart,  and  made  but  a  poor  resistance. 

Alfred  was  on  board  the  Dragon,  which  sank  several 
of  the  Danish  galleys,  and  with  some  of  her  consorts 
continued  the  fight  until  nightfall,  beating  off  every 
attempt  of  the  Danes  to  board  them.  Seeing  that 
several  of  the  ships  had  been  captured,  that  others  had 
taken  to  flight,  and  that  there  was  no  longer  a  hope  of 
victory,  Alfred  gave  the  signal,  and  the  Dragon  and  her 
remaining  consorts  fought  their  way  through  the  Danish 
fleet  and  made  their  escape. 

The  valor  which  the  Saxons  had  shown  in  these  two 
sea  fights,  and  the  strength  of  the  army  with  which 
Alfred  had  so  speedily  marched  to  the  relief  of  Roches- 
ter, greatly  impressed  the  enemy,  and  although  RoUo 
came  across  from  Normandy  to  the  assistance  of  Athel- 


UNITED.  285 

Stan,  the  Danes  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  leave  the 
Saxons  to  themselves. 

Alfred  in  the  following  spring  again  assembled  his 
army  and  laid  siege  to  London,  which  was  still  in  the 
possession  of  the  Danes.  Athelstan  did  not  venture  to 
march  to  its  assistance,  and  the  town,  which  had  long 
been  in  the  Northmen's  hands,  was  captured.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  city  was  burned  in  the  siege. 
Alfred  ordered  it  to  be  rebuilt,  invited  its  former  inhabit- 
ants to  return,  and  oflfered  privileges  to  all  who  would 
take  up  their  abode  there.  The  walls  were  rebuilt,  and 
the  city  placed  in  a  position  of  defense.  Alfred  then 
handed  it  over  to  Ethelred,  the  ealdorman  of  Mercia. 

Peace  was  now  made  with  Athelstan,  and  for  some 
years  remained  unbroken.  In  893  a  Danish  fleet  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  ships  sailed  across  from  Boulogne  and 
landed  in  the  Weald  of  Kent,  which  was  then  covered 
with  a  great  forest,  and  there  wintered,  while  the  viking 
Hastings  with  eighty  ships  sailed  up  the  Thames  and 
built  a  strong  fort  at  Milton. 

Alfred  stationed  his  army  in  a  strong  position  halfway 
between  the  forest  and  the  Danish  camp  at  Milton,  so 
that  he  could  attack  either  army  when  it  moved  out 
of  its  stronghold.  The  Danes  for  many  months  re- 
mained in  the  forest,  issuing  out  occasionally  to  plunder 
in  the  open  country  of  Kent,  Sussex,  and  Hampshire^ 
but  they  met  with  a  stout  resistance  from  the  Saxons 
who  had  remained  in  the  towns  and  country. 

After  Easter,  having  collected  a  considerable  amount 
of  spoil,  and  finding  the  resistance  ever  increasing,  the 
Danes  moved  northward  from  their  forest,  intending  to 
march  into  Essex.    The  king's  forces  at  once  set  off  to 


286  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

intercept  them,  and  overtook  them  at  Farnham,  where 
the  Northmen  were  completely  defeated.  All  their 
booty  was  recaptured,  with  their  horses  and  stores. 
Those  who  escaped  fled  across  the  Thames  and  took 
refuge  on  an  island  in  the  Colne.  The  Saxons  besieged 
them  there;  but  when  the  Danes  were  about  to  sur- 
render from  want  of  provisions  the  news  arrived  that  the 
Northmen  of  Northumbria  and  East  Anglia,  with  two 
hundred  and  forty  ships,  had  landed  suddenly  in  Devon- 
shire and  had  laid  siege  to  Exeter. , 

The  siege  of  the  island  was  at  once  raised,  and  King 
Alfred  marched  against  the  new  arrivals,  and  advancing 
with  great  speed  fell  upon  them  and  defeated  them. 
Then,  hastily  returning,  he  came  tO|London,  and,  joined 
by  a  strong  force  from  Mercia,  marched  against  Milton, 
where  Hastings  had  been  joined  by  the  great  number»of 
the  Danes  who  had  formed  the  army  in  the  Weald. 
Hastings  himself  was  away,  but  his  army  marched  out 
to  meet  the  Saxons. 

A  great  battle  was  fought,  but  the  Danes  could  not 
resist  the  ardor  of  their  assailants.  Their  army  was 
routed  and  their  fortress  stormed.  All  the  booty  within 
it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors,  together  with  the 
wives  and  families  of  the  Danes,  among  whom  were  the 
wife  and  two  sons  of  Hastings.  The  Danish  fleet  aleo 
was  captured,  and  was  burned  or  taken  to  London.  An- 
other great  fleet  of  the  East  Angles  and  Northumbrians 
sailed  up  the  Thames,  and  landing,  the  Northmen 
marched  across  to  the  Severn,  but  were  defeated  and 
destroyed  by  Ethelred  of  Mercia. 

Exeter  was  again  invested  by  a  Danish  fleet,  and 
again  saved  by  Alfred.    The  Danes,  as  they  retired 


VKITBD.  287 

along  the  south  coast,  landed  near  Chichester,  where 
they  suffered  a  heavy  defeat  from  the  South  Saxons. 

In  the  following  year  a  fresh  fleet  sailed  up  the  Thames 
and  thence  up  the  Lea,  where  they  constructed  a  fortress 
twenty  miles  above  London. 

Alfred  caused  two  fortresses  to  be  erected  on  the  Lea 
below  them,  with  vast  balks  of  timber  entirely  obstruct- 
ing the  river.  The  Danes,  finding  their  retreat  cut  off, 
abandoned  their  ships  and  marched  across  England  to 
Cwatbridge  on  the  Severn.  Their  fleet  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Londoners,  who  burned  and  broke  up  all 
the  smaller  shifw  and  carried  the  rest  down  to  London. 
The  Danes  were  so  disconcerted  by  the  many  and  severe 
defeats  which  had  befallen  them  that  they  now  aban- 
doned the  idea  of  again  conquering  England,  and,  tak- 
ing ship,  sailed  for  France. 

Four  years  later,  in  901,  King  Alfred  died,  having 
reigned  twenty-nine  years  and  six  months.  During  his 
reign  England  had  made  immense  advances  in  civiliza- 
tion, and  in  spite  of  the  devastation  wrought  by  the 
Danish  occupation  of  Wessex  during  the  early  years  of 
his  reig^,  and  the  efforts  required  afterward  to  oppose 
them,  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  country  vastly 
increased  during  his  reign.  Abbeys  and  monasteries 
had  multiplied,  public  buildings  been  erected,  towns 
rebuilt  and  beautified,  and  learning  had  made  great 
advances.  The  laws  of  the  country  had  been  codified 
and  regulated,  the  administration  of  justice  placed  on  a 
firm  basis.  The  kingly  authority  had  gfreatly  increased, 
and  the  great  ealdormen  were  no  longer  semi-indo- 
pendent  nobles,  but  officers  of  the  crown.  Serfdom, 
although  not  entirely  abolished,  had  been  mitigated  and 


288  THE  DRAGON  AND  THE  RAVEN. 

regulated.     Arts  and  manufactures   had   made   great 
progress. 

Edmund  and  Freda  survived  King  Alfred  many  years^ 
and  their  district  continued  to  be  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  well-ruled  in  the  kingdom.  Their  descend- 
ants continued  to  hold  the  office  of  ealdorman  until  the^ 
invasion  by  William  the  Conqueror,  and  the  holder  of^ 
the  office  at  that  time  fell,  with  numbers  of  his  followers, 
at  the  battle  of  Hastings.  For  very  many  years  after 
that  event  the  prow  cA  the  Dragon  ^was  kept  in  the  g^eat 
hall  at  Sherborne  as  a  memorial  of  the  valiant  deeds  per- 
formed against  the  Danes  by  Ealdorman  Edmund. 


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Cfpt«in  Bonehill  is  at  liis  best  when  relating  a  tale  of  military  adventnre,  and  this 
story  of  stirring  d(»i^  at  one  of  our  well-known  forts  in  the  Wild  West  is  of  men 
than  or^naiy  interest.  The  youns  captain  had  a  difficult  task  to  aocoanpUili,  bat  he 
bad  been  drued  to  do  Us  duty,  and  he  did  it  tfaoroi^hly.  Gives  a  good  insight  into 
army  life  of  to<lay. 

THE  TOmro  BAMBMASTEB ;  or,  Concert  Stage  and  Battlefield 

In  thb  tale  Captain  Bonehill  touches  upon  a  new  field.  The  hero  is  a  youth  with  • 
passion  for  masic,  who,  compelled^  to  maike  his  own  way  in  the  world,  becomes  a  coiw 
netist  in  an  ordtestra,  and  works  his  way  np,  first,  to  the  position  of  a  soloist,  and  then 
to  that  of  leader  of  a  brass  band.  He  is  carried  off  to  sea  and  falls  in  with  a  secret- 
service  cnttei  boood  for  Cuba,  and  while  in  that  island  joins  a  military  band  which  ac> 
companies  our  soldicn  in  the  never-to-be-forgotten  attack  on  Santiago.  A  mystery 
connected  with  tlie  hero's  inheritance  adds  to  the  interest  of  the  tale. 

OIT  FOB  HAWAII }  or,  The  Mystwy  of  a  Great  Volcano 

Here  we  bav«  fact  and  romance  deverly  interwoven.  Several  boys  start  on  a  toor 
of  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  They  have  heard  that  there  is  a  treasure  located  in  tha 
vicinity  of  Kilawea,  tlM  largest  active  volcano  in  the  world,  and  go  in  search  of  it. 
Their  nnmeroos  adventures  will  be  foUowed  with  much  interest. 

A  SAILOB  BOT  WITH  SBWEY;  or,  Afloat  in  the  Philippiaee 

The  story  of  Dewey's  victory  in  Manila  Bay  will  never  erow  old,  but  here  we  have 
it  told  in  a  new  form — not  as  those  in  command^  witnessed  the  contest,  but  as  it  ap> 
peared  to  a  real,  live  American  youth  who  was  in_  the  navy  at  the  time.  Maay  aa> 
ventures  in_  Manila  and  in  the  interior  follow,  giving  true-to-life  scenes  from  tfaii 
remote  portion  of  the  globe.    A  l>ook  that  should  m  in  every  boy's  library. 

WHEN  SAirxiAOO  FELL ;  or.  The  War  Advaitores  of  Two  Chnme 

Captain  Bonehill  has  nerer  penned  a  better  tale  than  this  stirring  story  of  adventures 
in  Cuba.  Two  boys,  an  AuMrican  and  his  Cuban  chum,  leave  New  York  to  Join  their 
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Many  adventures  between  tlie  noes  ifollow,  and  a  good  pen-picture  of  Genial  Garcia 
Is  given.  The  American  lad,  witb  others,  is  captured  and  cast  into  a  duiweon  in 
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"•  We  understand  that  Capuin  BoneaBl  wiU  so 


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Ct>e  Rise  in  Life  Sertes 

BY 

HORATIO  ALGER,  Jr. 

COMPLETED  BY 

ARTHUR  M.  WINFIELD 

f2aMi»  Cloth,  Handsomely  Illustrated,  Pric^  per 
Volume,   31*25 


OUT  FOB  BUSINESS;  or,  Bobert  Frost's 
Strange  Career 

One  of  several  volumes  left  unfinished  by  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  at  his 
death,  and  completed  by  his  friend  and  fellow  author  Arthur  11.  Win« 
field.  It  relates  the  adventures  of  a  country  boy  who  is  compelled  to 
leave  home  and  seek  his  fortune  in  the  great  world  at  large.  A  book 
every  lad  will  enjoy  perusing. 

FALLING  IN  WITH  FOBTUNE;  or.  The  Ex- 
periences of  a  Yonng  Secretary 

This  is  a  companion  tale  to  "  Out  for  Business,"  but  complete  in  itself 
and  tells  of  the  further  doings  of  Robert  Frost  as  private  secretary  to  a 
very  rich  lady.  The  lady  has  a  nephew  who  is  trying  to  acquire  her 
fortune,  and  the  hero's  actions  to  protect  his  patron  are  as  praiseworthy 
as  they  are  interesting. 

YOUNG  CAPTAIN  JACK;  or.  The  Son  of  a 

Soldier 

In  Mr.  Alger's  characteristic  vein,  but  with  a  plot  quite  different  from 
anything  else  he  has  done.  The  scene  is  laid  in  the  South  during  the 
Civil  War,  and  the  hero  is  a  waif  who  was  cast  up  by  the  sea  and 
adopted  bjr  a  rich  Southern  planter.  The  mystery  surrounding  the 
lad's  birth  is  so  peculiar  that  no  one  who  takes  up  the  volume  will  wish 
to  lay  it  down  without  finishing  it. 

NELSON  THE  NEWSBOY;  or.  Afloat  in 
New  York 

Mr.  Alger  is  always  at  his  best  in  the  portrayal  of  life  in  New  York 
City,  and  this  story  may  safely  be  counted  among  the  best  he  has  given 
our  young  people.  The  various  scenes  are  true  to  life,  and  the  adven- 
tures of  the  hero  are  such  as  any  boy  will  follow  vrith  close  attention. 


Ajay  Volnme  Sent,  Postpaid,  on  Receipt  of  Price 
<«5)  THE   I>1ERSHON    COMPANY 

IfO  nfth  Avenue,  New  York  Rahway,  N.  J. 


JUST  PUBLISHED 


parson  Cl>riiig'8  Secret 

By  A.  W.  MARCHMONT 

Author  of  ^'■By  Right  of  Sword,"  "A  Dash  for  a  Throm^ 
"  In  the  Name  of  a  Woman  " 


Over  60,000  of  this  popular  author's  books  have  been  sold  in 
this  country.  "  Parson  Thring's  Secret  "  vis  an  intensely  interesting 
and  dramatic  story.  It  is  in  an  entirely  different  vein  from  his  other 
works,  and  we  are  confident  that  it  will  receive  a  cordial  welcome 
from  Mr.   Marchmont's  many  admirers. 

Issued  in  the 

MERSHON    COPYRIGHT   LIBRARY 
12mo,  cloth,  375  pages,  price  $1.00 

Other  books  in  this  series  are  as  follows  : 
KENNEDY  OF  GLENHAUGH.    By  David  Maclure 
HIS  THREE  WIVES.     By  Mrs.  J.  H.  Walworth 
URANIE.     By  Camille  Flammarion 
LIST,.  YE  LANDSMEN  1     By  W.  Clark  Russell 
LUMEN,  Experi  nces  in  the  Infinite.     By  Camille  Flammarion 
THE  EMIGRANT  SHIP.     By  W.  Clark  Russell 
HUMAN  DOCUMENT.    By  W.  H.  Mallock 
ABOUT  MY  FATHER'S  BUSINESS.     By  Austin  Miles 


W  THE  MERSHON  COMPANY 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  Rahway,  N.  4» 


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UCLA-College  Library 

PR  4785  H39d  1900 


L  005  702  976  1 


College 
Library 

PR 

H39d 
1900 


A  001  165  489  4 


